


McGonagall's Girl

by leahcar260



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Albus Dumbledore is best grandpa, Anxiety, Anxious OC, Attempted Sexual Assault, Canonical Character Death, Character Death, F/M, Follows Cannon Story but from another perspective, Godmother McGonagall, Harassment, Implied/Referenced Sexual Harassment, Minor Character Death, Molestation, Mother-Daughter Relationship, Nerd OC, Original Character(s), Panic Attacks, Ravenclaw, Ravenclaw Prankster, Sexual Assault, Sexual Harassment, may be triggering, mcgonagall is such a mom
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-05-09
Updated: 2019-02-01
Packaged: 2019-05-04 12:36:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 18
Words: 98,705
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14593176
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/leahcar260/pseuds/leahcar260
Summary: Minerva McGonagall had no children of her own, but that didn't mean that she wasn't a mother.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I am re-writing what has already been posted on my FF Account, and continuing the story from there!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I DO NOT OWN HARRY POTTER OR ANY OF ITS CHARACTERS! I ONLY OWN MY OCS!
> 
>  
> 
> ALSO [FOLLOW ME ON TUMBLR!](https://nerdykrats.tumblr.com/)  
> Send me requests, or whatever! Give me a follow if you so choose, and I promise I'll follow back! I post updates on the fic's update status sometimes.
> 
> ALSO ALSO, CHECK OUT MY FRIEND CICIWEEZIL BECAUSE THEIR STORIES ARE AWESOMESAUCE AND THEY ARE SUPERMEGAFOXYAWESOMEHOT! [THEY ARE MY BETA AND I LOVE THEM!](https://archiveofourown.org/users/CiciWeezil/pseuds/CiciWeezil)

Jamie hummed slowly and quietly to her one month old bundle of joy, Arden, in her arms. She had finally managed to get her daughter to sleep early.  
"Perfect," Jamie whispered, kissing her daughter's forehead as she slept.

Alex knocked on the door frame smiling at his wife, “She asleep?” he whispered. 

She nodded, not looking anywhere but her daughter, "I could watch her sleep forever…"Jamie sighed happily.

Alex walked to stand behind his wife, wrapping his arms around her waist. He put his head on her shoulder and looked down at the sleeping babe in her arms, "She's gorgeous.”

Jamie pecked her sleeping child’s forehead, and moved to set her down on their bed, and checked the overnight bag she had packed for the thousandth time. Alex was about to chastise his wife, when their floo alarm went off. Alex pecked her forehead, "Must be the newlyweds. I'll get them,” and left the room

Jamie smiled, trying to memorize every little freckle on her daughter's pale skin. It seemed as though Arden inherited very little from her mother. Alex insisted that Arden got the majority of her features from her, but Jamie disagreed. The pale skin lightly dusted with freckles, thick hair the color of dark chocolate, amber colored eyes, even her high cheekbones; Arden inherited all of that from Alex.

"Jamie, is she ready?" She heard a soft feminine voice ask from the doorway. Jamie spun around to see one of her best friends, Lily Evans-Potter, leaning against the doorframe in a very James Potter-esque manner.

Jamie smiled, walking over and hugging her friend, "Thank you so much for agreeing to watch her for a bit tonight!"

Lily grinned, "No problem. James and I needed a bit of time off from the Order, and you two need some downtime too. Being a mom hard?"

Jamie shrugged, "It's a labor of love." She walked over to a purse lying on the floor. She picked it up and handed it to Lily, "This has an Undetectable Extension charm on it. It's full of diapers, wipes, changes of clothes, her cot, bottles of pumped milk in a cooler—warm it up in hot water and test it on the inside of your wrist, her burping cloth, and her favorite teddy." Jamie gently, picked up Arden.

Lily ushered Jamie out of the room, closing the door behind her. The girls walked down the stairs, hearing their husbands chattering in the living room.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Minerva McGonagall, a tall, skinny, 43 year old Transfiguration Professor at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, ran up to Headmaster Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore's office. She was abruptly woken up by an owl tapping on her window with a letter for her from the Ministry concerning two of her friends. Thus, she wasn't dressed in her usual emerald cloak. Instead, she was dressed in a red and gold dressing gown with her long black hair free from the confines of its usual bun.  
Minerva gave the gargoyle guarding the staircase the current password, "Fizzy Pop" and sprinted up the stairs. She threw the doors open without care for whatever he was doing and demanded, "Albus, is it true? Are they really?"

Albus Dubledore, a 97-year-old man with a silver beard so long he could tuck it into his belt, gave a pitying look to his former student. His blue eyes twinkled with sadness. He closed them and said, "I'm sorry, Minerva."

Minerva broke. She sat in the chair in front of his desk, brought her hands up to her face and sobbed, her black hair falling around her face. Albus stood and walked over to the broken woman. He placed a hand upon her shaking back, rubbing it in circles. "Why, Albus? Why them? They just had her not two months ago…"

"I know, Minerva…But, there is good news, she survived."

Minerva looked up at her friend, "What?"

Albus gave a sad smile, "Their daughter survived. James and Lily were babysitting her while Alex and Jamie had a night to themselves."

Minerva was confused, "But that means…"

Albus nodded, "She's yours now."  
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Minerva flooed to the Ministry the next morning; luckily it was the beginning of the summer holidays. She had two months to figure out how she was going to teach and take care of her infant goddaughter. She walked into the building and was sent to an office where she was to fill out forms that would give her full custody of her goddaughter, Arden Greyson.

As she walked down the expansive halls of the Ministry, she was met with many pitying looks and whispers. She knew that it was no secret that she was close to Alex and Jamie, anyone that spent five minutes in her class could see that. The two were gifted at Transfiguration, so she offered, as Albus had once done for her, to teach them how to become Animagi. They became very close in the following months. So close, in fact, that they elected her to be their daughter's godmother.

Minerva bit the inside of her lip as the more brave souls of the Ministry staff came up to personally give their condolences. She thanked each of them in turn, excusing herself to walk ever so slightly faster to reach the empty office reserved for her. Upon reaching said office, Minerva placed several silencing spells and protective spells on the walls before breaking down once more.

Two hours and several cases of intense writer's cramp later, Minerva McGonagall, gladly, left the Ministry and apparated to the Potter's house.  
Minerva was about to knock on the door when she spotted a note taped to it. "Come in, Professor McGonagall," was written in the unmistakable, barely legible scrawl of James Potter. She turned the knob and stepped past the threshold. She looked around and it seemed as though no one was home, or it would have if it weren't for the sobs echoing from upstairs.

Minerva followed her ears up the stairs and down the hallway until she reached an open door. She looked inside and spotted Lily Evans-Potter sitting on the edge of, what Minerva guessed to be, her's and James' bed, sobbing her heart out. 

'I have to be strong right now. Be strong for Lily,' Minerva repeated to herself as she took calming breaths. She walked over to the bed and sat down next to the redhead, wrapping her arms around Lily and let her sob into her cloak.

Lily, surprised, looked up at the Transfiguration professor with her watery green eyes, "Professor McGonagall?"

Minerva gave the younger girl a sad smile, "I miss them too, Lily, but they weren't the first, and they are not the last. You need to be brave, or did you get sorted into the wrong house?"

Lily gave the older woman a watery half smile and nodded. She stood and said, "I'll get Arden now." She walked out of the room, but upon reaching the doorway she turned her head, "Professor?" Minerva looked questioningly at her, "Thank you."

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

As a teacher at, quite possibly, the best Wizardry school in all of the Wizarding World, Minerva had more than enough money to support herself and another person. Some of the professors had their own homes, but most, including Minerva, stayed at the school year round. It was simply easier that way, as they spend about 80% of the year there working anyway. But, with an infant to raise, Minerva decided that she needed her own home to raise the child.

Minerva, with Arden in her arms, after changing into her Muggle clothes, walked into the office of an apartment complex in Muggle London. She had decided that growing up in the Muggle world with some Wizarding world influence would be best for Arden. She would see the pros and cons of both societies, get an appreciation for magic that most wizards took for granted, and also see what her parents died fighting for.

Minerva walked up to the welcome desk and was immediately greeted by an overly happy blonde woman dressed entirely in neon yellow. "Hello! Welcome to Benningham Towers! I'm Jenny, how can I be of service today?" Jenny then noticed the baby in Minerva's arms. "Aww, who's this little cutie?" she bent down and reached out to touch Arden.

Arden shifted in Minerva's arms, trying to get away from Jenny. Her face scrunched up in annoyance when she realized that she was being restrained. So, as all babies do when they don't like something, Arden started crying.

Jenny looked appalled at how the baby seemed to be disgusted by her. She immediately pulled her hand back while Minerva pulled Arden closer to herself and started shushing her, bouncing her in a calming manner. "Sweetie, it's alright. I've got you, calm down."

But, Arden simply squirmed and writhed, not wanting Minerva to calm her. She wanted to get away from the strange smiley lady in the obscene color. It hurt her sensitive eyes to look at the yellow woman. Eventually, she decided that the yellow lady got the point and calmed down, clutching what of Minerva's black clothes she could in her tiny fists.

"I'm sorry, she's not normally like this. I'm looking to get a two bedroom apartment."

Jenny seemed to be pleased, smiled again, "Of course! We have two open, actually! Right this way!" She led Minerva to a lift and pressed the button for the second floor of the three-story building. As the doors closed, Jenny decided to comment, "Your daughter is really cute! Is your husband going to be joining us?"

Minerva bit her tongue, refusing to show any sign of weakness in front of this woman. "Thank you, she's my goddaughter," Minerva said curtly to the woman, but Jenny didn't seem to acknowledge that Minerva had said anything.

They stepped out of the elevator and walked down the hall to room 208, "Here we are! I'm sure you and your daughter will be very happy here!" She put her key in the lock and opened the door. She let Minerva in first and started babbling on and on about the useless amenities whilst Minerva studied what would be changed if she moved in.

However, one vital component of her plans to move off Hogwarts grounds was missing. She had gotten permission from the Ministry to link whatever apartment she decided to rent to the Floo Network, and Albus assured her that her normal duties as a professor (eg: being at every meal and making nightly rounds) would be alleviated until she got into the swing of raising a child on top of her normal workload. "Is there an apartment with a fireplace available?" Minerva asked Jenny.

Jenny stumbled over her words in a rush, "Oh absolutely! It's a bit higher price, but I assure you it is worth every pound!" She opened the door and led Minerva to the elevator, once again.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

"And done! Alright," Jenny said standing up from her desk and tapping the papers on the desk to straighten them, "You're all set. Congratulations, Ms. McGonagall, you are now an official resident of apartment 303. Oh, and congratulations to you too, Arden." Jenny shot an unnaturally white smile at Arden, causing the girl to start fussing again.

She was getting more and more fussy the longer the day went on. She was driving Minerva up the wall. Minerva gave Jenny a slight smile, which was more of a grimace. "I'll be moving my things in tonight," she notified the blonde.

"Ok! Will you be needing any-"

"No, no thank you. I think we have things from here."

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

"Wingardium Leviosa," Minerva cast the spell on the dresser in Arden's new room, moving it from one wall to another. She looked over at Arden to see her smiling whilst staring in awe at her godmother's talents. Minerva inwardly grinned rather smugly, pleased that her goddaughter saw something as simple as a levitation charm absolutely astounding. Then again, she was still a baby.

"Now, what color do you want your room, darling?" Minerva asked Arden, getting on her knees in front of the baby in the fairy bouncer. Minerva waved her wand and several color swatches appeared in her hands. She held them out in front of Arden, "Do you want pink?" She held out the pastel pink swatch, taking it away when Arden's face crinkled in disgust. She laughed, "Alright, no pink. What about yellow?" She took that away too, "No yellow either. Green…" and that's how it went until Minerva picked up purple and saw Arden's face light up. "Purple it is!"

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Minerva smiled at the sleeping infant in her arms as she rocked back and forth on the new rocking chair that she had conjured for Arden's room. Minerva took advantage of this quiet time that she had alone with Arden to admire her. She already adored every little freckle on the baby's pale skin, every soft dark brown curl on her head, her tiny fist that clutched Minerva's finger so tightly even in her sleep, every little thing about this girl amazed Minerva more than anything ever could.  
Arden's face scrunched up in her sleep and her hand let go of Minerva's finger. Her large eyes opened to reveal a stunning shade of amber that stood out brightly in contrast to her dark chocolate brown hair. Those eyes…Minerva had only once before seen a shade that vibrant, Alex Greyson's eyes were the only other amber eyes that particular shade. Minerva gave the little girl a sad smile and kissed her forehead, "It's just the two of us from now on, sweetie."


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I DO NOT OWN HARRY POTTER OR ANY OF ITS CHARACTERS! I ONLY OWN MY OCS!
> 
> ALSO [FOLLOW ME ON TUMBLR!](https://nerdykrats.tumblr.com/)  
> Send me requests, or whatever! Give me a follow if you so choose, and I promise I'll follow back! I post updates on the fic's update status sometimes.
> 
> ALSO ALSO, CHECK OUT MY FRIEND CICIWEEZIL BECAUSE THEIR STORIES ARE AWESOMESAUCE AND THEY ARE SUPERMEGAFOXYAWESOMEHOT! [THEY ARE MY BETA AND I LOVE THEM!](https://archiveofourown.org/users/CiciWeezil/pseuds/CiciWeezil)

Death Eaters killed Jamie and Alex Greyson; the spell they used to murder the young couple was unknown, but largely suspected to be the Killing Curse. The Death Eaters whom had caused the untimely deaths of the Greysons were suspected to be the Carrow twins.

In their will, Jamie and Alex had previously arranged to be cremated and wished for their ashes to be buried along with a seed, so there would be some sort of place for Arden to visit in the future. There wasn't a funeral, just an ash scattering ceremony, if one could even call it that. Their ashes were buried behind their home in Montrose. Minerva chose a Scottish whitebeam to be planted with their ashes, knowing that it would stand out. As their parents had died during the war as well, Arden had no living blood relatives.

The night after the ash scattering, Minerva had put Arden to sleep and headed back to her room, leaving both her bedroom door and Arden's wide open. She climbed into her bed, ready to sleep after a tiring day.

Minerva had succeeded in getting about an hour's worth of sleep before she heard loud crying coming from Arden's room. She leapt out of bed and practically flew to her goddaughter's room. Arden was screaming; her face scrunched up in distress and her little limbs flying everywhere. Minerva picked her up, bouncing Arden gently up and down, back and forth, while pacing in a circle. Arden simply would not calm down. Minerva knew that she had already been fed…what else could it be? She hesitantly checked her nappy, clean as a whistle and no trace of nappy rash. Minerva tried burping her to no avail. She checked the baby's temperature, completely normal. So, Minerva decided to try magic.

She took Arden with her to her room and gently propped her upright with pillows before performing some showy spells for Arden. She even turned to her animagus form. Yet, Arden would not stop screaming. Minerva was at a loss. Something deep in Minerva knew that she was doing everything right but she wasn't who Arden wanted right then. Arden wanted her parents, and she would never get them. Tears sprung up in Minerva's eyes, knowing that the one thing that Arden needed most was taken from her. A thought occurred to Minerva, maybe…just maybe…no, she had to be crazy, right? There's no way that that would work…but it was bloody well worth a try. Minerva summoned the album. She pulled the still screaming baby into her arms and opened the book to show her pictures, magical ones of course, of her parents. Immediately, Arden stopped crying and reached out to one of the pictures in front of her. Minerva smiled, it might not have been her parents, but it sated her just seeing them. Right then, in that moment, Minerva vowed to herself to be the best bloody godmother that she could be for Arden.  
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________  
**One Month Later**

Minerva was pacing up and down in front of Albus' desk. Arden was sleeping in her Muggle portable cot. What did they call it? A car-seat? Whatever it was, it had a handle and she was always safely strapped in. It certainly looked comfortable enough, what with its rainbow polka dots and cushions. Just to be sure, though, Minerva cast a cushioning charm on it, and a warming charm, now and again, to make sure she was perfectly content whenever Minerva wasn't holding her.

Minerva was talking to Albus as she paced, "I can't do this, Albus. I can't teach and take care of her simultaneously. She's an infant! She needs my constant attention! I don't want to stop teaching, but Arden needs me. What can I do? I could hire a baby sitter, but she's so picky. You should have seen her when we met this horrid woman at the flat office. The woman tried to touch her and she started wailing. We hadn't even been there two minutes-"

"Minerva, calm down!" he snapped, causing McGonagall to stop pacing. She turned to her mentor, who gestured to the seat across from him and next to where Arden was sitting. "Sit," he commanded, which Minerva did not hesitate to obey. "Now," Dumbledore said, lacing his fingers together and leaning forward so that his chin rested atop his hands. "Minerva, I understand your concerns, but you're being crazy. Arden isn't at the age that she needs constant stimulation. She just needs someone to feed her, change her, and occasionally play with her. I know," he lifted a hand to stop Minerva from protesting, "It is much more complex than that, but those are the basics as I understand them. Now then, you need someone to watch her while you teach, and I am more than willing. I believe that little Arden is more than willing for me to watch her," he gestured to her goddaughter.

Minerva took a quick glance at Arden, who was gurgling happily in her seat, reaching out to Dumbledore with her stubby baby hands. Minerva's heart warmed merely at the sight of her goddaughter, whether it was her maternal instincts or just the fact that Arden was the child of her dear friends was negligible. Arden was hers now, and she adored her. The fact that she seemed willing to trust Dumbledore, her best friend of many years and former professor, just made Minerva love her even more.  
Minerva thought about it for a bit, then decided, "Alright. Let's give it a try."  
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Arden stared curiously up at Minerva from her car-seat. Why was she back in the room with all the pictures that talked? What could she possibly be doing here? Why was the old smiley man talking to the pictures? Arden might have liked him, but he was weird. Minerva picked Arden up, something that made Arden angry. She scowled in distaste at Minerva's actions. Minerva smiled and kissed her forehead before handing her to the smiley man.

"Arden, Professor Dumbledore is going to watch you for a couple of hours, ok? I'll be back soon," Minerva said to the little girl, who really had no say in the situation. She glanced up at Albus, "Are you sure about this, Dumbledore?"

Dumbledore seemed slightly offended, "Of course, Professor McGonagall, she's just a baby. I am more than capable of caring for her for a few hours."  
She nodded uncertainly and walked to her office to send letters to all of the incoming first year students.

Dumbledore walked to the comfiest chair he had in his office and sat down, setting Arden in his lap. He picked up his wand, "Accio Tales of Beedle the Bard," and an old, well-worn book flew to his hand. He heard giggling coming from his lap and looked down, Arden was…laughing. The sound intrigued and astounded him. He was gripped with a desire to have her make that sound again. He pointed his wand at the book, "Wingardium Leviosa," and made the book fly across the room, careful to avoid all of his tchotchkes. Again, Arden was laughing, the sound was almost melodic. Dumbledore was hard pressed to say that it wasn't the most beautiful sound he had ever had the pleasure of being witness to. He laughed along with her and spelled the book to dance on the table in front of them.

After a good few minutes of entertaining Arden with magic, Dumbledore decided that he should save some of the tricks he had up his sleeve for another date. He picked up the dancing book and held it in front of Arden. "How would you like to hear some fables from Beedle the Bard?" he asked the child in his lap. He charmed the book so that the stories would play out in front of her, "Now then, Babbity Rabbity and her Cackling Stump-"  
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

It was well after five o'clock when McGonagall was finished, she had left Arden with Dumbledore at around nine. McGonagall made her way, anxiously, from her office to Dumbledore's. She left Dumbledore with everything that Arden would need on a normal day, so she hoped that he had fed and changed her, at least. She opened the door to see Albus showing her goddaughter a photo-album of some sort. "We were just standing there covered in honey with an angry hippogriff chasing my owl while Professor Dippet was arguing with the giant squid," Dumbledore was telling Arden with a nostalgic smile on his face. He looked up and saw Minerva standing there, watching them, "But, I think that's a story for another time, your godmother is here." He picked her up and handed her over to Minerva. "She was an absolute pleasure to have."

McGonagall buckled Arden into her seat, "I would hope so." She gathered the rest of Arden's things with a quick wave of her wand.  
Dumbledore shot Minerva a look, "Professor McGonagall…" he trailed off.

"Ok, I agree this is the best option. She seems to adore you, Albus," she admitted.

Dumbledore shot her a smile, "Well then, I suppose I shall see you and little Arden in the fall."  
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________  
**3 years later**

****

"Minnie, do I have to?" Arden asked nervously, clutching her godmother's hand in a vice grip as she stared up at the building. Her dark chocolate curls, pulled back from her face by a red headband, hung down her back and stopped just before her hips. She was in a black dress and red flats. She had a teddy-bear backpack on, which was filled to bursting with her books. In her free hand was a lunch bag.

"Arden, it's just Muggle pre-school," McGonagall chided, gesturing to the pastel yellow building they were walking up to, "You'll be fine." She towed Arden into the building.

A stout brunette woman was sat behind the front desk, reading a magazine filled with baby products. She had large, warm blue eyes set into her kind face. She looked up as the bell above the door rang. "Oh!" she waddled out from behind the desk, revealing her large, pregnant belly. "Welcome!" she shook McGonagall's hand, "I'm Rebecca Russo, the director of Austen Academy."

Minerva smiled, "Minerva McGonagall, pleased to meet you. I believe we spoke on the phone?"

"Yes, I believe so." She glanced down at Arden, who hid behind Minerva's legs, and smiled, "Who might you be, sweetheart?"

Arden clutched Minerva as if she were a lifeline and hid her face in her red dress. Minerva tutted, "Arden, are you going to introduce yourself?" Arden shook her head, tugging on Minerva's dress, trying to coerce her to leave. She wanted to go back to Hogwarts, stay in Grandpa Albus' room and read while Minerva taught her lessons. She didn't understand why she couldn't do that. She had been doing that for as long as she could remember. Why did she have to go to Muggle pre-school when Grandpa Albus liked having her around? Tears welled up in her large amber eyes. Did Grandpa hate her? Had she done something wrong and now she's being punished for it?

Minerva didn't notice that Arden had started crying and just told Rebecca her name. She bent down to face Arden, "I'll pick you up when classes are done for the day, ok?" Arden furiously shook her head and buried her face into Minerva's shoulder, linking her hands behind the older woman's neck. Minerva picked Arden up, "We'll be back in a minute."

"Of course, take as long as you need." What had shocked her was that Arden didn't start throwing a tantrum, like every other child did when being dropped off for the first time.

Minerva walked Arden outside and sat her on a bench in front of the school. She bent down to be at Arden's eye level. "Arden Jamie Greyson, are you going to tell me what's wrong?" Arden shook her head, staring into her lap, tears streaming down her freckled cheeks. Minerva sighed, "Arden, love, I can't do anything unless you tell me."

Arden said, so quietly that Minerva almost didn't hear, "I'm sorry…"

"What?" Minerva was stupefied, "What in Merlin's name are you sorry about?"

Arden looked up at her godmother, her watery eyes overflowing more than she was crying, "Whatever I did wrong, I'm sorry! Please don't make me stay here! I promise I'll be good!" she pleaded.

Minerva smiled, shaking her head at the pure innocence of her goddaughter, "Darling, you did nothing wrong, I just need you to stay here while I teach. It's safe, you'll make friends, and you'll learn. Muggles like it when children read. Ok?" She pet Arden's brown curls away from her tearstained face.

Arden nodded, nervous but accepting of Minnie's reasoning. "Why can't I stay in Grandpa Albus' room?"

"Because I want you to make fiends your own age."

"What if I accidentally do magic?"

"Muggles won't understand. They'll come up with some convoluted reason behind whatever happened and disregard it." Arden nodded in understanding.

"Ready to go back?"

"Ok…"

Rebecca led McGonagall and Arden to a classroom labeled "Otters". "Here we are," Rebecca said, opening the door to let Minerva and Arden in first.

The room itself was…interesting, to say the least, in Arden's opinion. The walls were completely covered in murals of cartoon-style otters playing with one another. But, the view of said murals were intermittently interrupted by children's drawings pasted around here and there. The room had a sliding glass door leading to a playground on the back wall. The floor was made of polished wood, and completely covered in tables, chairs, toys, and children playing. The adult woman who was observing the children, Arden guessed was the teacher. She was elderly, stout, but reminded Arden a bit of Professor Sprout. She had a kind face, long grey hair, and sparkling green eyes. Arden was still uneasy about being left here.

Minerva squeezed Arden's shoulder, "Arden, I'm leaving now." Arden looked up at her and nodded in understanding. Minnie bent down to hug her goddaughter, kissing her forehead. "See you after class, love." She stood back to her full height and walked out, turning around to give one last wave to Arden.

Rebecca smiled at Arden, "Ready to meet everyone?" Arden shrugged, not particularly caring. "Let's go!" Rebecca grinned, taking hold of Arden's hand and leading her to the flock of children. "Attention, everyone!" the children all looked up, curiously, at Rebecca, "This," she nudged Arden forward, "Is our new friend, Arden Greyson, please be nice to her!" After introducing Arden, Rebecca left Arden in the flock of children, which subjected her to the scrutinization of other children.

Arden had no clue how to interact with other kids. She noticed that all of them had already formed little groups and never ventured out of them. She decided to do the one thing she knew was socially acceptable, read. Arden sat at one of the few unoccupied tables, opened her teddy-backpack and pulled out of the chapter books she was muddling through. It was starting to get really good.

She had been reading for about half an hour when, "Hi, I'm Dan!" Arden looked up from her place in the book and saw a blonde boy with freckles and brown eyes smiling down at her. "You're Arden, right?" Arden nodded, curious as to why this Dan kid was speaking to her. "Want to play with me?"

Arden was stupefied; she had no clue how to reply. Someone wanted to play with her? She just stared at him for a few seconds and then nodded, a smile forming on her face "Sure! Let's play!"  
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________  
**After dinner September 30th, 1981:**

Arden was sitting in Grandpa Albus' office – more specifically, on his lap – reading the latest edition of Transfiguration Today. She got stuck here and there with the odd colliqualism that she hadn't yet picked up on, or just a concept a bit too complex for her to yet understand, but Albus would always fill her in.

Her nose scrunched up adorably as she struggled to pronounce a word in her head. Dumbledore chuckled, "Which word are you having trouble with, my dear?" She angrily pointed to it, pouting all the while. Her context clues gave her the definition of the word, but not its pronunciation. "That's victuals, it's pronounced 'vittles'."

"It means food, right?" the child clarified.

He nodded, "Essentially, yes." She went right back to reading, whilst he filled out paperwork for the ministry. They had to hire another Defense Against the Dark Arts professor. It seemed as though the position really was cursed. Blast that Tom Riddle, he thought. The elderly wizard did care for his old student, but he despised all of his actions. Though, he regretted most of his own actions anyway.

About an hour passed, and Arden had finished reading though the magazine. She sighed, closing it. She yawned and rubbed at her eyes. Dumbledore chuckled a bit, "Are you getting tired, my dear Arden?"

She nodded and looked up at Albus, "Grandpa Albus?" The old man looked down at her, "When is Minnie coming back?"

He checked the time on his pocket watch, "Hmm," it was already half past nine. Minerva only went out to dinner with Elphinstone Urquart. Where could she be? To ease the child's mind, he replied "She should be back soon…would you like to go to sleep?"

Arden shook her head, "No, I want to *yawn* wait till she gets back."

"It seems as though your body disagrees with your wishes. Go on, you can use my bed. I promise I will wake you up when she returns."

The brunette gave him a hard look, one she obviously learned from Minerva. He'd recognize it anywhere. She stuck her pinky at him, "Pinky swear," she demanded.  
Dumbledore almost smiled at her child-like nature, almost. He knew how important this was to her. A Pinky Swear is akin to an Unbreakable Vow. He linked his pinky with hers, and shook on it, "Pinky swear." She deemed it enough, and hopped off of her Grandpa Albus' lap, walking to his private rooms. Dumbledore trusted her to not riffle though his things; she was half asleep already. He continued signing off on papers, writing his next submission to Transfiguration Today, and going through records for the next batch of students. It was almost eleven o' clock before Minerva knocked on his door. "Enter," Dumbledore stated, finalizing one last letter to the Minister.

Before she even took three steps into the room, Minerva fretted, "Albus, I am so sorry! Elphinstone took me on a walk through Godric's Hollow and we stopped in to visit the Potters. We just lost track of time!"

Albus held up a hand, stopping her, "It is quite alright, Minerva. Arden is never a bother." He stood up and began walking to his rooms, "Wait here. I made a promise that I intend to keep."


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I DO NOT OWN HARRY POTTER OR ANY OF ITS CHARACTERS! I ONLY OWN MY OCS!
> 
> I'm glad that you all seem to be enjoying this! I'm having a blast going back through my work and fixing things here and there, while working on the new chapters! If you have any suggestions, feel free to let me know! I LOVE constructive criticism!
> 
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**Early morning of November 1st, 1981**

Minerva McGonagall was playing on the floor with Arden when an owl from the Daily Prophet flew in through the window. Minerva quickly untied the paper and let the owl fly off. She took one look at the headline before, rapidly, giving Arden her teddy. She said that she'd be right back and left the room with haste.

Upon reading the headline, Minerva's heart was shattered for the second time in three years. She laid her head in her hands and sobbed. Lily and James Potter were dead and their son, Harry, was an orphan, just like Arden.

Speaking of Arden, she wasn't about to let Minnie just leave without explaining exactly what was going on. She stood up and ran out of her room, following her godmother to the kitchen. She watched in shock from behind a half-wall in their apartment as Minnie broke down. What could make her strong Minnie break like that? The only time that she saw Minnie sad at all was when Minnie caught her looking at pictures of her mummy and daddy. Was this about her mummy and daddy? She cautiously snuck up behind Minnie, climbed up on one of the chairs, and took the newspaper off of the table. She opened it and read the headline.

**Baby Harry James Potter Defeats Dark Lord**

Who was this Harry kid, and who was the Dark Lord? She's heard Minnie mention this guy called You-Know-Who, but Arden disregarded it. Whoever called themselves that instead of some really cool name like iGod or Mushroom Mad Man (she really despised mushrooms, they were gross) was stupid. A name like You-Know-Who didn't bring any sense of dread or forthcoming doom. This guy who called himself Dark Lord, he knew how to scare people. She liked him better as a villain than the You-Know-Who wimp. This Harry kid, she wanted to meet him. She read the rest of the article as best she could with her higher-than-average-yet-still-not-up-to-Minnie's-level reading level. She got caught a few times, but got the gist of what was going on. Apparently, You-Know-Who-weenie-butt was the Dark Lord dude, and he was defeated by a one year-old baby named Harry Potter after he killed the kid's parents, James and Lily. She remembered meeting Lily and James a couple of times. From what Minnie told her, Lily and James were babysitting her the night that her parents died. So, she was grateful to them for keeping her alive that night and did enjoy playing with James and his friend Sirius now and again. She hadn't seen Lily since she had the baby, and she didn't bother asking what his name was, as it was deemed as unimportant information that wouldn't matter in the long run. Well, now it apparently was important as somehow this kid defeated You-Know-Who-stupid–head.

Arden turned to her godmother, who was still shaking in silent sobs. She put the paper back on the table and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder, rubbing it back and forth. "Minnie…" she said comfortingly. Minerva looked up at her goddaughter, slightly shocked that she didn't listen to what she told her, she always did before. Arden looked at her godmother with warm amber eyes, "I'm sorry…about James and Lily…"

Minerva shook her head, petting Arden's soft brown curls, "It's not your fault, dear." She checked the clock, "We need to go."

Arden scowled slightly at that. Minnie said that she could skip school and have a day to themselves. She really wanted to play with Minnie. She didn't want to go to school. "Why?"

"I need to see to something."

"Why?"

"Because I do."

"Why?"

"Arden, dear, I really need to do this because I said so. Now get your bag ready to go to school," she said in a snappy tone, pointing in the direction of Arden's room.  
Arden hung her head and nodded, leaving the room.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________  
**Later Nov. 1, 1981:**

Snape was slumped forward in a chair and Dumbledore was standing over him, looking grim. After a moment or two, Snape raised his face, and he looked like a man who had lived a hundred years of misery.

"I thought...you were going...to keep her...safe..."

"She and James put their faith in the wrong person," said Dumbledore. "Rather like you, Severus. Weren't you hoping that Lord Voldemort would spare her?"

Snape's breathing was shallow.

"Her boy survives," said Dumbledore.

With a tiny jerk of his head, Snape seemed to flick off an irksome fly.

"Her son lives. He has her eyes, precisely her eyes. You remember the shape and color of Lily Evans's eyes, I am sure?"

"DON'T!" bellowed Snape, "Gone...dead..."

"Is this remorse, Severus?"

"I wish...I wish I were dead..."

"And what use would that be to anyone?" said Dumbledore coldly, "If you loved Lily Evans, if you truly loved her, then your way forward is clear."

Snape seemed to peer through a haze of pain, and Dumbledore's words appeared to take a long time to reach him. "What…what do you mean?"

"You know how and why she died. Make sure it was not in vain. Help me protect Lily's son."

"He does not need protection. The Dark Lord has gone— "

"The Dark Lord will return, and Harry Potter will be in terrible danger when he does."

There was a long pause, and slowly Snape regained control of himself, mastered his own breathing. At last he said, "Very well. Very well. But never, never tell, Dumbledore! This must be between us! Swear it! I cannot bear...especially Potter's son...I want your word!"

"My word, Severus, that I shall never reveal the best of you?" Dumbledore sighed, looking down into Snape's ferocious, anguished face. "If you insist..." Then, a thought occurred to Dumbledore, "Severus, have you seen Minerva today?"

Snape scowled, "Why would you ask me that now?"

"Just answer me, please."

"No, I haven't, I fail to see what that has to do with anything."

"Severus, I must ask, yet, another favor of you. Could you run an errand for me?"  
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

And that was how Severus Snape, the Potions Master of Hogwarts, found himself standing in front of a Muggle school. He sighed and walked into the yellow building, greeting a plump Muggle woman, coddling a newborn, with one of his trademark glares down his hooked nose.

"Hello," the woman greeted, "How can I help you? Are you here to pick up a student?"

"Obviously…"Snape trailed off whilst enunciating the word. He peered down at the scrap of parchment that Dumbledore had given him, "Arden Greyson…" he read off.

The woman seemed to lighten up at that, "Oh Arden, she is a darling! Are you her godmother's friend? She mentioned that Arden might be going home with her 'Grandpa Albus' today, but you don't look nearly old enough to be a grandfather."

Snape stiffened. Grandpa Albus? What in the bloody hell was Dumbledore doing when he was supposed to be protecting Lily? "I'm Minerva's colleague," he provided, "Can I just get her?"

"Of course! Of course, right this way," she led Snape down the hall, "May I ask your name?"

"Snape, Severus Snape," Snape curtly said. The woman stopped in front of a door with a childish portrayal of otters painted upon it. Snape inwardly grimaced. Muggles liked to cater to the childish side of their children, rather than cultivating their more mature ways until later on. How he loathed them.

"Arden, sweetie, Mr. Snape is here to pick you up!" the Muggle called out into a sea of babbling, idiotic, children.

Snape spotted a small brunette child reading at a table, who seemed to respond to the woman's call. She stood up, gathered her things from a cubby, and walked to the door. This, Snape reasoned, was the child he was to watch for Minerva. He looked down his hooked nose at the child, "Grayson?" he questioned.

The girl looked up at him with a confident sneer of her own, "Snape?" she bravely questioned back.

He nodded, and she did in return. He turned and led her out of the room; he was starting to get a headache.  
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Upon reaching the apartment building that Minerva had decided to inhabit, Snape noted that he had no way to open the door. He contemplated using the unlocking spell. But, when he reached to take his wand out of his Muggle jacket, the brunette girl took a lanyard off of her neck, a key dangling from it. She just barely reached the doorknob and unlocked the door. She walked right in, replacing the lanyard around her neck. Snape followed, shutting the door behind himself.

He analyzed the transfiguration teacher's place of living. It was small, sparsely decorated with Hogwarts memorabilia (likely to avoid too many questions from Muggles), well filled with books, and otherwise devoid of Gryffindor decorations. That confused Snape. From what he knew, McGonagall took pride in the fact that she was a Gryffindor. She was the head of Gryffindor house for Merlin's sake!

Snape took note of what the child was doing. She was sat in front of the coffee table in the family room, reading again. This child that Minerva had chosen to house was better behaved than most of his seventh year Slytherins. He inwardly chuckled, of course she was, McGonagall was raising her.

Suddenly, she stood up and walked to the kitchen. He followed her, curious of her actions. She opened the Muggle refrigerator and stared inside. She sighed and turned to face Snape, "Would you please get my snack from the top shelf?" she asked.

Snape walked forward and asked, "Which one?"

She pointed fruitlessly, "That one, in the red and black bag." Snape delivered it to the girl. She smiled, showing off her pearly white baby teeth, "Thank you!" and ran back to the table to continue reading.

It…pleased Snape to make this young child smile. His lifelong love might have been killed by the Dark Lord the previous night, but this child was blissfully unaware of any evil in the world. Yes, she knew that her parents were dead because of the same dark wizard, but it seemed as though that fact didn't affect her. She was still happy, full of childhood bliss.

Arden was upset. Why didn't her Grandpa Albus pick her up like Minnie promised? She knew something must have happened, so she was iffy about the whole situation. But, Arden had faith in her Grandpa Albus' strength. According to her books, her Grandpa Albus was one of the most powerful wizards in history; a fact that she was proud of.

Arden kept an eye on the hook nosed-man called Snape as she nibbled on her snack. She was wary of him. Minnie had mentioned him now and again, but it was in passing. She disregarded his name like she did Harry Potter's; as unimportant information. She decided to give him a test to see if he was competent of doing something. He didn't think to unlock the door, so she had to take that task on herself. She wasn't necessarily hungry, but she wanted to see if he would get her snack for her. Arden watched as Snape walked over to one of the many bookshelves in the apartment and picked out one of the older, more worn books. He then walked and sat next to her by the table. Arden turned the page of her book; she had finished the page before she tested the man.

A few minutes passed, Arden had long since finished her snack of cut up fruit, and she grew bored with reading. She closed the book and turned to face the brunet wizard. She figured she should see how far she could push his buttons. Minnie had a short fuse, and Grandpa Albus let her get away with almost anything, how far could she push Snape? "I'm bored. Can we play?"

Snape sighed and turned the page in his book, "Why should I play with you? You obviously enjoy reading."

Arden climbed on the couch, "Because I'm bored. I've been reading all day because Dan didn't go to school today. He got sick so his mummy didn't let him go to school. Now I want to play~" Arden whined, tugging on the back of his black shirt.

Snape yanked her arm off of his shirt, "I don't play. I refuse to entertain your childlike desires. Go entertain yourself."

Arden pouted, "No. I want you to play with me!"

"I. Said. No," Snape enunciated, turning another page in his book.

Arden hid her glee, she was getting there, "Please? Pretty please with sugar quills and chocolate frogs on top?"

Snape snapped the book shut, "Fine, we will play one game. Will that sate you?"

Arden nodded with a smile that could light up the entire Forbidden Forest plastered on her face, "Yep!" She grabbed his hand and tugged him to her room.  
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Minerva walked into her apartment, upset and unsure of Albus' decision to leave Harry Potter with his Muggle relatives. She had watched them all day, and distrusted them. She was glad that she had taken Arden into her custody and didn't leave her in an orphanage. Speaking of Arden, she didn't see her. Minerva immediately panicked. What happened? Where was Arden? Did she get kidnaped? Killed? Her impending panic attack was alleviated when she heard laughter coming from Arden's bedroom.

Minerva made haste to the girl's room only to see something she never thought she would see again, Severus Snape was smiling.

"MINNIE!" Arden launched herself at Minerva. "Snape and I were playing Go Fish!"

Snape stood up and took his coat off of Arden's bed. He walked over to McGonagall, "I'll be taking my leave now. I'll see you tomorrow, Minerva."

"Yes, see you tomorrow, Severus."

"Bye, Snape!" Arden called to the man. He waved as she heard the door close.  
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________  
**Spring 1982:**

"Arden, dear, are you ready yet? We're supposed to meet Elphinstone in twenty minutes!" Minerva said through the door. Elphinstone Urquart was taking the two of them out to supper at a rather upscale restaurant down the road from their flat. After the death of the Potters, Elphinstone had been her confidant and her rock through the next few months. Minerva had lost so many in such a short span of time, but he was always there. So, she decided to humor him for a while. He had been proposing to her left and right for years at that point. She was considering taking him up on his next offer. Minerva was starting to fall for the older wizard. Also, he simply adored Arden, and enjoyed the company of her nieces and nephews, which was a necessary requirement to be involved in Minerva's life.

"I can't figure out the zipper, Minnie!" Arden called back, "Can you help?"

She walked in to a warzone, "Would you care to explain what happened to your room?" Apparently, Arden was searching for the dark green dress with a silver bow that she was currently attempting to zip up backwards, and caused her room to resemble the aftermath of a natural disaster. Minerva righted Arden's dress, "You're cleaning this up the second we get home," she informed while her goddaughter stepped into her silver flats.

"Yes, Minnie," Arden sighed, slightly rolling her eyes.

They arrived at the restaurant, barley on time. Elphinstone grinned upon seeing the pair. He kissed Minnie on both cheeks, and gave Arden a quick one-armed hug. "Shall we move inside? This establishment is meant to have the most lovely apple pie!" He placed a guiding hand on Minerva's lower back, while the witch kept a tight hold on Arden's hand. One could almost mistake them for a family.  
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________  
**Summer 1982:**

It was the last day of term, and McGonagall was excited to spend the summer holiday with Arden. They were planning on spending the next two weeks in France, primarily for Minerva's Transfiguration retreat, but also to expose Arden to a different culture. One month after their France trip, they were going to floo to America and meet up with one of McGonagall's friends, who would be taking them on a tour of Ilvermony.

At the moment, Minerva was taking a walk around the Black Lake with Elphinstone. He had decided to visit her and speak of her summer plans. "Are you going anywhere after America?"

She shook her head, "No, Arden's Muggle School begins its sessions in August, of all things, so she needs to be back before then."

"I see. Well, what are you doing between your international travels?"

She cocked her head a bit to the side in thought, "Hmm, I'll likely be sorting things for the next term. What do you plan to do?"

Elphinstone smiled, "I was planning on marrying the most wonderful woman," he got down on one knee and held up the same ring and ring box that he had been repeatedly proposing to her with for years at that point, "Will you marry me, Minerva?"  
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________  
**Late August, 1982**

"That should be the last of it…" Elphinstone trailed off, levitating the books onto the new bookshelf in Arden's new room in their new house in Hogsmeade. He had bought the property immediately after his and Minerva's wedding the prior week. He didn't think that he'd ever get the witch to say yes, but she finally agreed. He didn't think that he would ever be any happier than he was when she said, "I do". But, here he was, finished setting up his new ward's bedroom in their new house with his new wife. Everything was new, everything was bright, and everything was looking to be great.

Minerva nodded, "That's everything, except the wall color… Arden!" She called out, "Can you come here for a moment?" The four year old, still ill at ease in the new environment, slowly padded into the room. "There you are!" Minnie smiled, picking her goddaughter up and setting her on her hip. "What do you think?" Arden gave no reply, just frowning in thought. Minerva took this as a good sign, knowing that all of these changes must be hard on the child. So, she continued, "Want me to make the room purple, like the one in our old flat?"

Again, Arden gave no reply. She just frowned. Everything was different, and everything was changing too quickly. She understood that her Minnie got married, Merlin knows why she chose to do so, and she understood that that meant that Minnie spent lots more time with Elphinstone than she already did. But, why did he have to move in with them, or vice versa? Why did they have to move from their awesome flat? Why did she have to get a new room? Why did everything have to be different? Why couldn't things stay the way they were before? Were there take backs on marriages? While all these questions were running through her head, Arden felt her heart quicken its pace, her breathing fastened and her throat closed up. She was going to cry, but she wasn't going to do it in front of Elphinstone. She refused to do so. She might have thought that he was acceptable company before, but it was his fault that everything was changing. It was his fault that Minnie spent less time with her. It was his fault that they had to leave their flat. It was his fault. It was all his fault! She wiggled to signal to Minerva, without words, that she wanted to get down. Thankfully, her godmother was well versed in Arden's body language, so she set her down.

Elphinstone watched in shock as Arden ran out of the room. Minerva, however, was expecting that, and began to follow. But, the older wizard stopped her. He sighed, his age really beginning to show, "I'll go talk to her. I think I know what's going on."

"Are you sure? She might feel more comfortable if I-"

"Minerva," he chided, "This sort of confrontation was bound to happen sooner or later; may as well let it be done with now." Elphinstone kissed his wife on the cheek and set out to find Arden.

Almost half an hour later, he found the four-year-old sat atop a small hill under a hawthorn tree. She had her knees to her chest, and her face was hidden in her knees. He walked slowly up to the girl, unsure how to address such a complex issue with such a young child. He'd known this girl for, essentially, her entire life, but they never had deep conversations like the one he was about to instigate before. The most complex topic he'd ever addressed with the girl was about her opinion on the pizza that they had for dinner that night, or what she thought that Minerva would like for her birthday. He sighed, sinking down to the ground next to the girl.  
"I bet you think I ruined everything, don't you?" He asked, figuring that he'd address the dragon in the china shop first. Arden kept quiet, so he continued, "I know that there are a lot of changes happening at once, and you're used to things being one way and that's that. But-"

"Change is a part of life and I should just accept that, I get it!" Arden interjected snarkily. "I'm not a dullard."

He remarked, "I never said that you were! I was merely stating-"

"That I shouldn't be frustrated with you or Minnie for making adult decisions because you already asked me my opinions on them and I said that they were fine. I know!"

He was floored, never having seen this sort of behavior from the girl before, "I-"

"You think that I'm acting out of line, but you can't really do anything because my entire way of life just got uprooted and you want to make it up to me because I'm allowing you and Minnie to be happy," Arden guessed, with a sarcasm filled undertone to her voice. She looked Elphinstone dead in the eyes as she said that, "You weren't going to say anything like that, but that's what you're thinking, right?"  
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

One month later, Arden was at Muggle school, Minerva was teaching, and Elphinstone was in their backyard tending to their vegetable/herb garden. He was weeding while deep in thought. Even now Arden was wary of and upset with him. He supposed, in a strange way, he almost deserved it, as he and Minerva did get married so quickly (though it was a long time coming, he thought happily). But, she did initially say that she was fine with it, though they really didn't need her approval. He sighed, sitting back and resting his weight on his hands and back, he looked up at the sky and wondered what he could do to get her on his side? What could he do to get Arden to like him again? What did parents do when their children had a bad taste in their mouths in regards to them?

Then, it hit him; they took their kids out and had a good time with them, while still showing the kids that they were still authoritative figures! Ergo, they had a parent-child day together; some good old-fashioned quality time together! He just had to figure out what Arden would enjoy the most…  
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

"Arden, your godmother is here," Mr. James announced, standing next to Minerva in the doorway.

Though everything else changed, her after school schedule, largely, did not. Minnie always picked her up at 3:45pm on the dot. They'd take a walk down to the Leaky Cauldron to go to Rosa Lee Tea Bag for a relaxing cuppa. Minerva would always get a cinnamon black tea with citrus undertones, and Arden would bounce between mint tea and a honey vanilla chamomile. After tea, Minnie used to hail a cab to go back to their flat. But, since they moved to Hogsmeade, Minnie would usually floo them to their new cottage now. It was this alone time that Arden treasured most. It was wonderful to have this one sacred tradition between them. It was something that Arden knew that Minnie also loved. They could just relax and talk about their days, Minnie could unwind and talk about her students with a genuinely interested third party. This was something that was JUST Arden's and Minnie's.

The brunette happily jumped out of her chair, grabbed her backpack, and ran into her godmother's awaiting arms. The older witch carried Arden on her hip, as she did every day, out of the building. She set Arden on the ground, as always, and they walked to the Leaky Cauldron. All the while, Arden was talking about her day, as always.

"And then, Mr. James asked us if we knew how to do adding and subtracting, and I already know how to do that. So, he had me go up and I got to write on the board!" she proclaimed proudly.

Minerva beamed with pride, "That's wonderful, love!" She pet Arden's head, cupping the back of her neck slightly.

Arden added a bit of bounce to her step, loving the praise that Minnie gave her, "And in Phys. Ed., we played this game called Capture the Flag, and I got to be team captain! I got to pick my team!"

Minnie's face contorted in confusion, "What's capture the flag?" She asked, pushing open the door to the famous Wizarding pub, allowing Arden in before herself.  
"It's this game where there are two teams, each has a flag, and the goal is to take the other team's flag before they get yours. You have to cross the middle line with the other team's flag to win. But if someone tags you while you're on their side, you're frozen in place until someone from your team frees you," she explained, walking through the bar, waving at Tom as she passed, and stopped before the brick wall out the back of the pub. She watched in rapt concentration as Minnie tapped the bricks, only to have them reveal Diagon Alley. She ran through the archway, giggling as she did so, and turned around, "Come on, Minnie!" she beckoned.

Minerva mockingly rolled her eyes, and walked with a dignified pace, her head held high, but a slight smile on her face that you'd have to be extremely familiar with her to recognize. She followed her goddaughter, watching with the softest eyes that anyone would have ever seen on the witch.

When they finally reached Rosa Lee Tea Bag, Arden stopped in her tracks. Elphinstone was sat at their table. Not just any table in the shop. He was sat at Arden and Minnie's table. She looked up at Minerva, "Why's he here?"

"Arden, he's my husband, and your guardian. He's allowed to join us," she said sharply.

Arden turned to face her, sharp and cold brown eyes met trained and wise green ones. The child stomped her foot on the ground, "No! This is our tea time!" she exclaimed, "He can't be here!"

"Arden-"

"NO! He can't be here!"

The older witch raised her eyebrow, "Do we need to go home? Are we not having Tea Time today?"

Arden's face fell. No, they had to have tea. But, Elphinstone couldn't be here! It wasn't right! Tea Time was only hers and Minnie's! She looked forward to it all day! Why couldn't he just not be there? Why did he have to be there? Everything that changed was his fault! He was always the source of the changes! Too much was changing at once, and now he invaded their Tea Time? Why couldn't he just leave something of theirs alone? But, if they didn't get tea and just left, Arden knew that the rest of the day would suck. Minerva would probably send her to her room without any books or toys. She'd just have to sit there until dinner, and go back to her room until morning. Or, she could sit silent though tea and be able to read and play when she got back to their cottage.

Arden pouted as Minnie grabbed her hand. Minerva saw all the fight leave the girl's body as she pondered her options. They ordered their cups of tea, and sat with Elphinstone at their table.

Minerva greeted her husband with a kiss, and Elphinstone greeted Arden with a one armed hug, that she did not reciprocate.

"Arden," he smiled, "How was your day?"

"Fine," she said curtly, sipping her mint tea and looking anywhere but at him.

He sighed, "Ok…Minerva, how were classes today?"

The adults talked, and Arden stared at the table, not looking at them. She saw a family of gingers out the window. Quite the odd sight, she noted. Two of them, both boys around her age, looked identical…twins, she thought. The woman, who she assumed to be the mother, was carrying a baby on her back, while holding another child on her hip. The twins, they had to be twins, were running circles around the woman, pretending to be casting spells at one another with sticks.

"Arden!" Minnie tapped her shoulder, breaking her concentration on the family outside. She looked at her, "Elphinstone asked you a question."

She cast her gaze on her guardian. He smiled and held out two tickets, "How would you like to come to a play with me tonight? The muggles are putting on a play from this famous British playwrite named Shakespeare. The production is called A Midsummer Night's Dream. It's supposed to be about a play within a play and a series of miscommunications. It's a romantic comedy."

Minerva mock gasped and acted excited to entice Arden to want to go, "That sounds fun, doesn't it, Arden? I wish that I could go, but I have too many assignments to grade."

Arden shrugged, not really caring one way or another. If she were at a play with him, then she wouldn't have to talk to him or anything. She could focus on the play and pretend that he wasn't there.

He smiled, taking her indifference as acceptance, "Brilliant! Just finish your tea and we can go! It starts at 5:00 sharp!"  
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

To say that Arden fell in love with Shakespeare that night would be an understatement. She knew that if Muggles could do one thing well, it was literature. But, Shakespeare was something else! It was crude, and brilliant; deep, and shallow; complex, and simple; it was everything that Arden could ever hope for in one play! How had she not heard of that before? She was sure that everyone was hiding adoration for Shakespeare from her. They had to be!

She had to say something. She grabbed the edge of his robes, "Elphinstone?"

He stopped in his track to leave the theatre, eyebrow raised at her, "Something the matter, Arden?"

"Thanks…for taking me to see this, and introducing me to a new author. I had a good time."

He smiled, "You're welcome, that's all I wanted, for you to have a good time. Maybe we could do this again sometime, huh?"

She nodded, "I'd like that…"


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I DO NOT OWN HARRY POTTER OR ANY OF ITS CHARACTERS! I ONLY OWN MY OCS!
> 
> Thank you all for all the Kudos you've been leaving! I cannot properly express how happy I am that so many people are enjoying this already! It's been a blast to go back through and touch things up in my fic! Also, I'm sorry for this.
> 
> ALSO [FOLLOW ME ON TUMBLR!](https://nerdykrats.tumblr.com/)  
> Send me requests, or whatever! Give me a follow if you so choose, and I promise I'll follow back! I post updates on the fic's update status sometimes.
> 
> ALSO ALSO, CHECK OUT MY FRIEND CICIWEEZIL BECAUSE THEIR STORIES ARE AWESOMESAUCE AND THEY ARE SUPERMEGAFOXYAWESOMEHOT! [THEY ARE MY BETA AND I LOVE THEM!](https://archiveofourown.org/users/CiciWeezil/pseuds/CiciWeezil)

**4 years later**

"Tag, you're it!" Arden, now seven years old, tagged Dan quickly before sprinting in the opposite direction.

"I'm gonna get you!" Dan called after her tearing to catch up to the brunette. When he was close enough, he tackled her to the ground, both of them laughing in mirth.  
"Tag, you're it!" Dan victoriously exclaimed.

Arden shoved his shoulder, causing him to roll off of her. They panted for a few seconds, catching their breath. Dan stood up, holding his hand out to help his best  
friend up. He was about to tear off again when, "Ok, kids! Recess is over!"

Arden's amber eyes glinted in the sunlight as she turned to face her blond friend, "Race you back?"

Dan's brown eyes met her own, a determined fire burning in their depths, "You are so on."  
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Back in class, Arden was sat with the few female friends she had made over her years of Muggle school; Allie and Ellie. They were fraternal twins, and fit the stereotype in every way. Allie's curly-q hair was such a dark shade of brown that it was almost black, while Ellie's pin-straight hair was so blonde that it was almost white. Allie's eyes were as dark as her hair, and Ellie's were a bright shade of blue. Allie had a very narrow face and Ellie had a rounder face. If their names weren't so similar, one could forget that they were related.

Arden was, as always, stuck in her own head. None of the children in her class, surprisingly, were magical. Not one of them had shown the slightest glimmer of magic whatsoever. Arden knew that magical people were rather rare, even in the Muggle world, but she had hoped that she could show someone her secret without breaking  
the Statute of Secrecy. She sighed, sometimes keeping the mask of being just a normal Muggle was tiring on the seven year-old.

"Arden, are you alright? You're spacing out again," Allie asked.

"Yeah, I'm ok, just thinking," Arden replied, wondering what she could do about the whole situation. She was analyzing every conceivable outcome that she could, just like this Muggle detective she read about, Sherlock Holmes. Surprisingly, some Muggles believed that he existed. Arden thought that was a laugh.

"Are you sure? Can we help in any way?" Ellie asked, brushing her blonde bangs way from her face.

"Positive," Arden said definitively.

"Ok, kids! Since Mother's Day is coming up, I thought that it would be fun if we made something for our mothers! So today, we'll be decorating tote bags and making paper roses! Doesn't that sound fun?" Mrs. Vincenza, Arden's first grade teacher asked the class.

Everyone, save for Arden, was suddenly filled with glee and energy. Other than Dan, no one in her class knew that she didn't live with her parents. Arden decided to keep that matter a bit secret. For one thing, she figured that Minnie would like it a bit better that way. Minnie enjoyed doing magic around their flat, especially after she told Arden about her childhood. Arden also figured that she'd get teased for living with her godmother. It wasn't that she was ashamed in any way, but it seemed like Muggles liked demeaning people who were different. Plus, it wasn't any of their business with whom she lived. Who cares if she lives with Minnie? It wasn't their problem.

But, what would she be doing? Minnie wasn't her mum, she might as well be, but she wasn't. Minnie had made sure that Arden knew her parents loved her; that they died protecting her and the rest of the Wizarding World. Arden knew about her parents, she didn't really know them, but she knew enough to be able to tell people about them if they asked. No one ever did, of course.

Arden walked over to Mrs. Vincenza's desk, while the other students were starting on their paper roses. "Excuse me, Miss?"

Mrs. Vincenza looked up from grading their last spelling tests, "Yes, Arden? How can I help you?"

Arden looked down and shuffled her feet uncertainly. She looked up and met her teacher's eyes and gestured for the woman to bend down. She whispered, "I…sort of…don't have...parents…" She backed away a bit.

Suddenly the older woman laughed a bit, "Arden, sorry I didn't mean to laugh, honestly. You can just make a mother's day gift for whomever you live with." She loved it. Arden was usually so mature and well put together. Seeing her like this, childlike innocence practically streaming off of the young girl, it was almost too precious. It filled the teacher with a sense of joy.

Arden's face fell. Mrs. Vincenza had said that aloud…everyone in her class now knew that she didn't have parents…  
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

"ARDEN GREYSON!" the janitor, who was acting as a caller for the pick-up line yelled out into the group of students.

Arden rapidly picked up her things and ran out so quickly that almost no one saw the tears streaming down her cheeks…almost. The presents that she had worked so hard on for Minnie were broken, destroyed, and ruined. Arden was right in that people would tease her for not having parents. They did and they took joy in the fact that they could bring someone like Arden down. Mrs. Vincenza had tried to come to Arden's rescue, but she was too late.  
When Minerva saw Arden crying, she knew something was wrong. Arden never cried unless it was something big. She took hold of Arden's wrist and brought the girl to an alleyway so that they could apparate home.

Upon arriving in their new home in Hogsmeade, Arden ran straight to her room and shut the door.

"Minerva," Elphinstone ran over, completely confused. He looked back and forth between his wife and the path Arden took, "What happened?"

Minerva followed Arden, saying, "I'm about to find out," and quickly performed the unlocking charm on the knob before walking in. Her strong, smart, perfect goddaughter was curled up in a ball on her bed, facing away from the door. She was hugging her bag to her chest protectively as she shook in silent sobs. Minerva's heart shattered, what in Merlin's name happened? She looked to Elphinstone for support before stating the obvious, "Arden we need to talk about this."

"No."

"Arden-"

"No! I don't want to!"

Ok, that was it, Minerva decided. Arden never, ever, kept secrets from Minerva. Something happened, and she was going to find out what it was and put a stop to it.  
"Arden Jamie Greyson, if you don't tell me what happened I will go get the calming draught in the cabinet and force it down your throat," Minerva said in her 'I am the boss around here and you will obey me' voice that she only used on extremely rowdy students that thought they were the ones in charge.

The mention of a calming draught shut Arden up right quick. She hated the taste of potions. The only one she heard tasted good was Felix Felicis. She sat up, turned around so that she was facing Miverva, and reached into her bag. She pulled out the tattered remains of a bag and scraps of paper and balled up red and gold pipe cleaners.

Minerva was confused, "What's-"

"It was…" she hiccoughed, still holding back sobs, "Supposed…to be a…present for you…for Mother's Day…But, they…broke it…because…"

Minerva was smiling. Oh, the dear was making her a present. But, the second part of Arden's sentence still bothered her. Her face fell to a scowl, "Who broke it dear?" she made sure to look Arden dead in the eye.

Arden looked away, "I don't want to say…"

"Arden, don't protect them," Elphinstone implored.

"No, they broke it because-"

"Tell me who-"

"THEY BROKE IT BECAUSE I DON'T HAVE PARENTS!" Arden yelled.

Elphinstone and Minerva were shell-shocked. Arden only got angry when it was something she couldn't control. Even as a toddler, she almost never threw tantrums.  
Arden closed her eyes, took a calming breath, and made sure to look Minerva in the eyes before continuing, "I tried to tell them that you're pretty much my mum, but they just made fun of me; asking why I wasn't in an orphanage or left on the streets. They said that only kids with mums and dads could make Mother's Day and Father's Day presents and such. I got so worked up that I almost did magic, but I made sure I didn't because-"

Minerva cut her off with a hug, "Sweetie, it doesn't matter. It's ok, as long as they didn't hurt you. Presents are just material things, you're not." She planted a kiss on Arden's forehead, "You're special. I can fix the bag so that you can make it again, ok?" She pulled back to look at her goddaughter.

Arden wiped her eyes, "The roses too?"

Minerva laughed, "Yes, the roses too."  
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

**Three months later**

Arden was in the middle of class working on math. They had just begun to work on numbers in the hundreds and thousands. So, Arden was adding and subtracting sequences of numbers. Her current problem was "What is 1000+2000+5000-4000+3000?" The answer was obviously 7000. While she went to the next problem, the nice school secretary, Miss Smithers, rushed into the room. She whispered to Mrs. Vincenza, who's face dropped from her usual bubbly smile to a shocked and serious expression.

"Arden," she called from her desk. The brunette's head popped up in recognition, "Come here please."

Obedient to most forms of authority, Arden stood up and walked over. She was beginning to read the situation, based on the atmosphere between Mrs. Vincenza and Miss Smothers.  
Mrs. Vincenza put her hands on Arden's shoulders, leaning in slightly to meet the girl's eyes. "Arden," She started, but the girl cut her off.

"Something happened, didn't it?"

Miss Smithers was surprised at Arden's quick deduction, but Mrs. Vincenza wasn't. She merely nodded, "Your godmother is here to pick you up…She'll explain everything. Just…just gather your things, and the homework is pages 45 and 46. You can turn it in when you get back…" She hugged the girl, "I am so sorry."

Arden was perplexed, but then it hit her. Someone had died.  
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Minerva practically dragged Arden into St. Mungos. The girl wasn't putting up a fight. She did care for Elphinstone, of course; she was just at a loss for how to act. She had never encountered something like this before. Sure, she had comforted Minerva when she found out about the deaths of the Potters four years ago, but Arden wasn't close to them. Now…now it was more personal. When her parents died, she was still a baby. When Minnie's old love, Dougal McGregor, was killed in an anti-muggle attack, she never let Arden know how devastated she really was. Grandpa Albus ended up spilling the beans over a year later. They didn't want to concern the young girl with all the grief at the time. She was still a child, after all. But, now they couldn't shield her from loss. No one could, and she had no clue how to deal with it.

Just hearing about how bad off Elphinstone was, after he was bitten by a Tentacula, didn't really move her on an emotional level. She was shocked and concerned, of course, but it was more of an automatic reaction that she had learned. But, when she saw him barely holding onto life in his hospital bed, Arden felt it. She felt it in her heart first. She had read about one's heart dropping to their feet, but she had never known how accurate of a statement it was until that moment. Then, her breath hitched in her chest, and that triggered her to start crying. She had no idea what to say. She had grown to love Elphinstone almost as she loved her Grandpa Albus. This wonderful old wizard had introduced her to so many things, shown her how happy he could make Minnie when she, herself, couldn't. He had provided a dynamic that she was unaware could happen in their lives.

Elphinstone reached a hand out weakly and pet the seven-year-old's head, "What's this?" He almost whispered, "Are you crying over me, Arden?"

She shook her head, "'course not…" she muttered, thickly. Throughout all this, they still kept their sarcastic relationship strong.

He chuckled, and began coughing. After his fit ceased, he retorted, "That's good. I was worried that you cared about me."

That broke through Arden's crying and caused her to smile slightly. She hugged the man, not knowing how much longer he had left, and said the only thing that she could think to say, "Thank you…for everything…"

Arden left the room for two reasons, to give him and Minnie a moment alone, and to use the restroom. Elphinstone was dead when she returned.  
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

The Healers of St. Mungos had done everything they could, but the venom had spread too quickly, and they had only been able to hold off the inevitable, Minnie had later explained. There was a slight chance that Elphinstone's body would be able to fight back with the help of the Healers, but it was too late.

The funeral was held the next day, Minnie just wanting to get it over with. It was a small ceremony; only their family and close friends had been allowed. After the funeral was over, Arden and Minnie had returned to their Hogsmeade cottage one last time. They packed everything up and moved back to Benningham Towers in Muggle London. They were now in room 316, on the far corner with a gorgeous view of London at night. With Minnie's magic, they were completely moved in by the end of the day.

For the next few weeks, Arden heard Minnie quietly crying in her room, when she thought that Arden was asleep. She knew that Minnie was working herself into the ground, as of late, in order to distract herself from the loss during the day. But, when she returned to an empty bed at night, she couldn't ignore it. Minerva McGonagall was facing the loss of her husband every night.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I DO NOT OWN HARRY POTTER OR ANY OF ITS CHARACTERS! I ONLY OWN MY OCS!
> 
> Thank you all for reading thus far! I love you all!

**Two years later**

"Arden, dear, wake up," Minerva prodded her sleeping goddaughter. It was May 31st, 1989, Arden's eleventh birthday.

Arden groaned, "No, Minnie, I don't want to." She rolled over to the cool side of the bed.

Minerva huffed, annoyed that Arden would prefer to sleep in. Then a thought occurred to her, "If you wake up, I'll make waffles."

Arden jumped out of bed, and sang "WAFFLES, WAFFLES, BIRTHDAY WAFFLES!"

Minerva laughed, today would be a good day.  
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Arden screamed in delight with a mouth full of her birthday waffle as she looked out the family room window. She swallowed and called, "Minnie! Minnie, there's an owl!"

Minerva grinned, knowing what it was. "Let it in!"

Arden opened the window, letting the large, grey Hogwarts Screech Owl fly through the window and land, gracefully, on the table. It lifted its leg, revealing a letter had been tied to it. Arden untied the letter and opened it, leaving Minerva to give it some well-deserved water. It was addressed so plainly there could be no mistake:

Ms. A. Greyson  
The Purple Bedroom  
Apartment 316  
Benningham Towers  
London

The envelope was thick and heavy, made of yellowing parchment, and the address was written in emerald-green ink. Arden recognized the penmanship straight away as Minerva's.

"Is it?"

Minerva smiled, "Open it."

Arden grinned and tore it open, "Dear Miss Greyson, we are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry!" Arden read aloud. "Minnie, I'm going to Hogwarts!" she squealed and ran to hug her godmother.  
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

It was mid August and Arden, dressed in a midnight blue jumper, black jeans, and black and purple trainers, stood in the middle of Diagon Alley. Arden had been to Diagon Alley a few times in her short span of life, but she never quite got over how fantastical it was. The sun shone brightly overhead, there never seemed to be a cloud in the sky whenever she was in Diagon Alley. Shops of all colors, sizes, selling everything from pewter cauldrons to books on love spells lined the curving lane out back of the Leaky Cauldron. Diagon Alley was, easily, one of her favorite places in the Wizarding World. It was never dull, never boring, and there was always something to do.

Arden, gleefully, tugged Minerva along, "Come on, let's get my wand!"

"Not so fast, young lady!" Minerva stood stock still, "We need to get your books, cauldron, potions ingredients-" she started listing off.

Arden whined, "Minnie, that's gonna take forever!"

Minerva ficked Arden behind the head, "Don't whine in public. It will only take forever if you make it take forever." She saw Arden pout, "We can get some extra books at Flourish and Blotts if you like. Maybe make a stop at Rosa Lee Teabag as well?"

Arden absolutely beamed. Just the mere mention of tea could bring her out of any slump; a trick that Minerva knew well. "Pretty please with sugar quills and chocolate frogs on top?"

 

Every store they went into seemed to be just one more store stopping Arden on her quest to get extra books and her wand. Slug & Jiggers Apothecary was an interesting store, to say the least. Arden was excited for Potions class, Snape was teaching it, of course. But some of the ingredients used were a bit…unnerving… She really wanted to play Quidditch, but Minerva tugged her away from Quality Quidditch Supplies, "You can try out for the team next year."

Before they went to Ollivanders, they made a stop at Eeylops Owl Emporium. "Minnie," Arden questioned, "Why are we here?"

Minerva turned to face her goddaughter, "Do you really think I'd let my goddaughter attend Hogwarts without a pet?"

Arden's face fell from a questioning expression to a full-blown grin, "Really?"

Minerva gave Arden a little shove, "Go, pick someone out."

Arden walked out of the store with her left hand holding the handle of a cage, containing a male chocolate and white tortoiseshell cat. She had named him Mercutio after one of her favorite characters in Romeo and Juliet. She absolutely adored Shakespeare, but Romeo and Juliet was certainly overrated. She believed that Mercutio and the Nurse were the best characters in the play!

"He's gorgeous, love. But, why a cat? I would have sworn you'd have chosen an owl."

Arden sheepishly smiled from under her hair, "I wanted a cuddle buddy…and most people only get owls to send letters and stuff, right? Well…the only person I could send letters by owl with is going to be at school with me…so…"

Minerva smiled and checked her watch, they had a bit of time before lunch, "Ready for your wand?"

Arden's eyes lit up, "Of course!"

Arden practically sprinted into Ollivanders. All of the non-living things that she had needed for Hogwarts had been shrunken (by Minerva) and placed in this purse that Minerva said was spelled to have an undetectable extension charm on it. Arden was carrying the purse with pride, unknowing that her mother was the one who charmed it eleven years ago. She left Mercutio's cage and the purse next to a chair by the window of the old shop. She confidently walked up to the counter and waited patiently.

Suddenly, Mr. Ollivander appeared from behind the desk, "Ah, Miss Greyson, I was wondering when I would see you here. You look so much like your parents. Just a perfect blend of their features, yes. Ah, Minerva, how are you? Nine and a half inches, fir, with dragon heartstring, correct? How is it holding up?"

Minerva waved her wand, transfiguring herself into her animagus form. Arden smiled, she loved when Minnie turned to her animagus. With a pop, Minerva back transformed and not a hair was out of place.

"Ah, just fine, I see. Now then," he turned his attention back to Arden, "You need your wand, yes?" A tape measure flew out of his coat and started measuring every part of Arden imaginable; from her head to her toes, between her nose, her armpit to her knees, around her head, down the length of her arm, around her waist, her shoulders to the middle of her chest, her belly button to her pupil, even the space between her eyes. Mr. Ollivander seemed happy after it measured the circumference around her hips and said, "That will do, thank you," and waved his wand. The tape measure crumpled to the floor. Mr. Ollivander pulled out several boxes and handed Arden the wand in the top one, "Try this, maple and unicorn hair, twelve inches. Supple."

Arden took the wand, it felt foreign and uncomfortable in her hand. She gave it a swish and all the glass in the shop shattered. She quickly put it back on the counter, "Sorry…"

Mr. Ollivander said, "It's alright. Certainly not that one, oh no." He gave a quick wave of his own wand and all the glass was back in place. He pulled out the next wand, "Holly and dragon heartstring, eight and three quarter inches, willowy."

This one felt even worse, as if the wand hated her. She gave it a wave and the wood in front of her on the floor exploded with a bang.

"Oh dear me, no. Not at all!" Mr. Ollivander fixed the floor while Minerva ran to see if Arden was alright. While Minnie picked bits of wood out of the eleven-year-old's hair, she determined that Arden was, luckily, not injured in the slightest. 

Arden placed the wand back on the counter and Mr. Ollivander placed the next one in her hand, "Hornbeam with phoenix feather, ten and three quarter inches. Slightly swishy, good for transfiguration and potions."

This wand…felt warm and welcoming in Arden's hand. It felt like something was missing in her hand until this very moment…Arden gave the wand a gentle wave, dark blue and purple sparks shot out the tip gracefully.

"Ah, yes, this wand, a perfect fit. I should have guessed. Your mother had a hornbeam wand. I might be biased when I say this, but Hornbeam wands select their mate for life and their passions will almost always become realized. They become so personalized so quickly that any other witch or wizard who tries to use them will have difficulty with even the most simple of spells. I see a bright future ahead for you, my dear."  
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Arden woke up the morning of September first rather anxiously. As she got ready for the day, she realized that she wasn't sure what house she wanted to be in. She didn't have a bias against any of the houses. The head of houses, that she had met, were all very nice people (even Snape). She decided that she would ask Minnie.

"Minnie, what house do you think I'll be in?" Arden asked as she tried to keep up with her godmother on their walk to King's Cross.

Minerva looked at Arden critically for a bit, analyzing what she knew about her goddaughter. She was loyal, brave, smart and loved learning, and ambitious…to a point. Eventually, she conceded, "I don't know and it doesn't matter to me. You'll still be you, and that's all that matters."

"Really?" Arden asked with a smile, "Even if I get put in Slytherin?"

"If you do get placed in Slytherin, then they will have gained a wonderful student, now won't they?" Minerva retorted with a smile, "I'm sure Professor Snape would be very pleased to have you in his house." She suddenly stopped, they were a block from the train station. "This is as far as I'll take you, love. I'll see you when you get to school. You'll be going on the boats with Hagrid across the Black Lake. Do you have everything? Mercutio's in his cage," she checked to make sure it was locked, "your ticket," Arden reached into her pocket to show it to Minerva, "your books-"

Arden cut her off with a smile, "Minnie, I have everything, don't worry!"

Minerva smiled, "Good, now you're going to want to run at the barrier between platforms 9 and 10, that's how to get to platform 9 ¾," she pecked Arden's cheek, "See you soon, dear." She walked to the alley across the street and disapparated.

Arden walked the rest of the way to the station by herself. She pushed her cart around looking for platforms 9 and 10. "Where is it…?" she mused, starting to get angry.

"Excuse me," Arden felt someone tug on her black hoodie. She turned around and was met with a boy, who couldn't be older than nine, with: blue eyes, more freckles than Arden believed could be on a person at once, and flaming red hair. He looked very nervous, "Are you going to platform 9 ¾?" he asked worriedly. Arden nodded and he seemed to brighten up, "Can I go with you? I got lost..."

Arden gave him a smile, "Of course." She led him around on her quest to find the elusive platform.

He chattered on, talking about his favorite Quidditch team, the Chudley Cannons. He suddenly stopped himself, "I'm Ron, by the way, Ron Weasley. What's your name?"

Ah, that explained the flaming hair and freckles, Arden thought. "I'm Arden Greyson," Arden answered easily.

"Where are your parents, Arden? Shouldn't they be here?"

"They couldn't come," Arden disregarded the question. She suddenly spotted platforms 9 and 10, "There it is!" Arden smiled, running at the barrier with Ron on her tail.

The scarlet engine before them was billowing steam. Wizards were bustling around it, entering and exiting the train nonstop. Arden was in heaven. She had made it, she was going to Hogwarts.

Her bliss was short lived, however, "RONALD WEASLEY!" A blur of ginger hair flew in front of Arden's line of vision. Ron was embraced in a hug, but then got slapped on the back of the head by a plump woman, "Don't you go running off like that again, young man, do you hear me? I almost had a heart attack!" She turned her attention to Arden and her face softened quickly, "Thank you so much for bringing him back, dear," she said in the sweetest, most sincere tone that Arden had ever heard.

"It was no problem at all, really," she reassured the woman with a smile.

Another boy with green hair and freckles ran over to Ron's mother. Two, laughing, identical boys with flaming hair and freckles closely tailed him. The green haired boy looked livid, "Mother, Fred and George did it again!"

The three boys, Arden assumed, were all Ron's siblings. Their mother looked exasperated, "Really? Boys we talked about this. You promised to behave!" She turned to the green haired boy and, with a wave of her wand, changed his hair back to a flaming red shade that matched her own.

One of the two laughing boys smirked, "Actually mum, we promised to behave-"

His doppelganger continued, "Only until we reached the train. We're at the train-"

They finished together, "So now we can have fun!"

Their mother shook her head, "Honestly, I don't know what I'm going to do with you two…" She turned her attention to the older of her present sons, "Percy, where's Charlie?"

"On the train already. Would you like me to fetch him?"

She shook her head, "No, it's fine."

While the family conversed, Arden decided to slip away. She walked away from the ginger family and tried to get her things on the train. She was able to get everything except her trunk on board. She underestimated the weight of it.

"Need help?"

Arden turned and was face to face with one of the twins…either Fred or George, if she remembered correctly. Arden nodded, "Yeah, that'd be great, thanks."

He smiled, "Oy George, c'mere and help!"

When his twin arrived, Arden analyzed the two, looking for any differences she could. She noted that Fred's brown eyes were slightly darker than George's, and Fred had a freckle on the back left side of his neck that was absent on George.

The boys lifted Arden's trunk, Arden tried to help but they reassured her that they could do it on their own, and carried it to the compartment that she had chosen to occupy.

"Thank you!" Arden smiled at them.

"You're welcome. I'm Fred and this is George. Don't think that we're related, we just met today!" Fred grinned.

"Yeah, for some reason, everyone thinks we're related. Something about us being identical." George played along.

Arden laughed, causing the boys to smile. They looked at each other, silently communicating. "Mind if we sit with you?" they simultaneously asked.

Arden smiled, "Sure! I'm Arden, by the way. Arden Greyson." She stuck her hands for the boys to each shake.

"Nice to meet you," they chimed.

After the twins bid their mother goodbye, they returned to the train and moved their things to the compartment they were sharing with Arden. Upon opening the door, they found Arden reading some book they had never heard of with a large cat on her lap. They put their trunks against the far wall and sat down, waiting for Arden to notice them.

Eventually, she looked up from her book, "Hey guys, this is Mercutio."

Fred grimaced, "What's a Mercutio?"

Arden gestured to her cat, "My cat? That's his name. I named him after Romeo's best friend in Romeo and Juliet." As if to agree with her, Mercutio meowed and rubbed his head against her extended hand. She scratched behind his cheekbone, causing him to purr loudly in contentment.

George gave a questioning look, "Who are Romeo and Juliet?"

Arden's jaw dropped, "Romeo and Juliet? The most well known of Shakespeare's plays?"

The twins looked at each other, "Can't be very well known if we've never heard of it," they said in synch.

Arden was a bit shaky, "Ok, so Romeo and Juliet is out, but you have heard of Shakespeare, right?"

The twins shook their heads no. Arden was surprised, but shook off the shock. Of course there was a huge cultural gap between the Muggle world and the Wizarding world. Well, she mused, if these two were going to be her friends, she'd have to teach them.  
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Arden spent about half of the train ride to Hogwarts getting the twins into Shakespeare. As soon as she told them about Bottom from Midsummer Night's Dream, they were in peels of laughter. 

Upon the Trolley Witch's arrival, Arden pulled out her pocket money. She had about eleven sickles, more than enough to buy sweets to share with her new friends. She walked out into the corridor and bought three Cauldron Cakes, three Chocolate Frogs, a tin of Bertie Botts Every Flavor Beans, and three Pumpkin Pasties. She sat back down while George was unwrapping two sandwiches. They looked up and saw Arden's arms laden with sweets.

"All that for yourself, Arden? Didn't expect you to be a big eater!" George feigned surprise.

Arden laughed, "No, I bought sweets for us to share!" She handed each of them a Cauldron Cake, a Chocolate Frog, and a Pumpkin Pasty.

Fred looked at what Arden had handed him, "Why?"

Arden had already bitten into a Pumpkin Pasty, so she answered with her mouth full, "Why what?"

George picked up on his twin's train of thought, "Why did you buy sweets for us?"

Arden cocked her head in confusion, swallowing her mouthful of pasty, "Because you're my friends? This is a thing friends do, right?"

The twins looked down at the sweets Arden had gotten them, looked at each other, and simultaneously opened their trunks. They each pulled out the just-in-case-they-were-extra-hungry sandwiches their mother had packed them and handed Arden a half. 

Arden then looked at them in confusion upon taking the food they offered her, "What're these for?"

George answered, "Our mum made us sandwiches. You share your food with us, we share ours with you."

Fred gave her a teasing smirk, "That's a thing friends do, right?"

Arden grinned, knowing she already liked where this friendship was heading.

After their food had been consumed, and their Chocolate Frog Cards opened and exchanged (Arden traded her Grunnion for George's Agrippa), they started talking about Hogwarts Houses.

"George and me reckon that we'll be in Gryffindor."

"Why?" Arden asked.

George smirked, "'Cause our entire family's been in Gryffindor! Mum, Dad, Bill, Charlie, even stick-up-my-arse Percy is in Gryffindor."

"Where do you think you'll be, Arden?"

She pulled a thoughtful face as she stroked Mercutio's short fur. "Dunno, the Sorting Hat will, though!"  
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Just before the train arrived at the school, Arden kicked the twins out of the carriage to change into her robes. She let them back in afterwards and waited outside for them to change.

When the train finally arrived at Hogwarts. Arden, George, and Fred jumped off of the train and bolted for the boats.

"Firs years! Firs years over here!" Hagrid the half-giant called out into the sea of children. Arden, gladly, ran over to Hagrid, hugging what bit of him she could reach. "Alright there, Arden?" he patted her back.

The twins, cautiously, walked up to Hargid. Arden grinned, "This is Hagrid. Hagrid, these two are George and Fred," she gestured to each twin respectively.

"Nice ter meetcha," Hagrid held out his free hand for them to shake. Hagrid, Arden, and the twins climbed into one of the boats and rode to the castle, Hagrid narrating facts about Hogwarts along the way.

After they had crossed the lake (no one had fallen in that year) and Arden hugged Hagrid goodbye, the first years made their way into the entrance hall.

"Arden, how do you know Hagrid?" Fred asked curiously.

Arden smirked deviously at the twins, "Let's just say that my godmother is very well connected to Hogwarts, and leave it there." Arden knew that having people find out that Minerva was her godmother wasn't necessarily a bad thing, but she wanted to keep it on the down low just in case people accused Minerva of going easy on her.

The twins nodded in acceptance, but knew they would fish out the information sooner or later. Then, Minerva walked into the entrance hall.

"Welcome to Hogwarts," said Professor McGonagall. "The start-of-term banquet will begin shortly, but before you take your seats in the Great Hall, you will be sorted into your houses. The Sorting is a very important ceremony because, while you are here, your house will be something like your family within Hogwarts. You will have classes with the rest of your house, sleep in your house dormitory, and spend free time in your house common room.

"The four houses are called Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin. Each house has its own noble history and each has produced outstanding witches and wizards. While you are at Hogwarts, your triumphs will earn your house points, while any rule breaking will lose house points. At the end of the year, the house with the most points is awarded the house cup, a great honor. I hope each of you will be a credit to whichever house becomes yours.

"The Sorting Ceremony will take place in a few minutes in front of the rest of the school. I suggest you all smarten yourselves up as much as you can while you are waiting." Her eyes lingered on Arden for a moment before giving an almost unnoticeable nod and continuing, "I shall return when we are ready for you. Please wait quietly," she returned to the Great Hall, leaving the first years alone.

Fred and George grinned, "This is going to be great!"

Arden had been anxiously waiting for this moment for the past eleven years, and the time had finally come. She knew she shouldn't be nervous, but she was. Her hands were shaking and clammy, her head was buzzing with every possibility that could conceivably go wrong, she could hardly contain her…excitement. Yes, she wasn't just nervous, she was also excited, she mused. Of course she was, this was Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, the place she loved coming to as a child to spend time with her Grandpa Albus and many of Minerva's colleagues. It was a treat to come here after she started attending Muggle school, and now she would be here all the time!

Minerva walked back in. Arden must have been thinking for a while. Were the twins talking to her at all during her time inside her head? She would have to ask them later.

"Now, form a line and follow me," Minerva instructed the eleven year-olds. One-by-one, the students walked to the front of the Great Hall. Arden recalled being in here once or twice under Grandpa Albus' disillusionment charm, but it was a different experience being in the hall for her sorting. By far, her favorite feature of the hall was the ceiling. She loved the charm that made it look like the sky above, and wanted to cast it on any ceiling that she came across.

Arden turned her attention back to the front. Grandpa Albus gave her a discrete wink, which she returned. This was going to be a great seven years.

Once the hat started to sing, Arden tuned out. She already knew about the four houses and their values, she had even talked to the old hat on occasion. It didn't have that much to say, but it loved talking about Hogwarts history. Arden had, on its suggestion, read Hogwarts: A History and was fascinated by it. It was a rather dry read, yes, but it did have several interesting tidbits of information that she made sure to memorize.

After the hat finished its song, Professor McGonagall started reading off the names. They slowly made their way down the alphabet, students getting placed, seemingly at random, into each of the houses.

After about half an hour, Professor McGonagall paused, cleared her throat, and called, "Greyson, Arden."

Arden, nervously, made her way to the front. She sat on the stool and made eye contact with Minerva one last time before she got sorted. McGonagall gave her a reassuring smile before dropping the centuries old hat over her eyes.

"Ah, Greyson, I was wondering when I would get to sort you," the hat said to her telepathically. "Now, let's see here…bravery, you've certainly got that…loyalty, only to those you believe deserve it, interesting…you are smart, witty, there's no doubt about that, none at all…oh look at this ambition to pursue your dreams…but where to put you? You don't seem to care, but there is this little preference tucked back away in your head, so far back it's almost negligible. Ah, you want to go there, well it seems to fit you, but Gryffindor seems to fit you as well. Now let's see…" The hat stopped its ramblings and started to think…if hats could think, but then again hats don't sing or talk or read minds either. Arden sat there, waiting for its decision for what seemed like ages. Finally, the hat declared its decision.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

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	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I DO NOT OWN HARRY POTTER OR ANY OF ITS CHARACTERS! I ONLY OWN MY OCS!
> 
> I really hope you all are enjoying this! If you're from my original following on FF, you may notice a subtle change with this part of the story! Let me know what you think!

"RAVENCLAW!" the old hat finally announced in a booming voice.

McGonagall, with a proud smile on her face, lifted the Sorting Hat off of Arden's head, allowing her to jump off the stool and join the members of her new house.

Arden walked calmly over to the Ravenclaw table. The centuries-old Sorting Hat had been deliberating for over seven minutes, she was an official hat-stall, just like Minnie. Sitting down next to one of the two girls that had been sorted before her, Seo Kim and Mary Buschrose, if she remembered correctly, Arden chanced a glance up towards Minnie. She met Arden's gaze with a slight nod and smile that would be unnoticeable to anyone who didn't know her as well as Arden did. Arden grinned up at her godmother in response. All was well.

The rest of the Sorting Ceremony passed painfully slowly. The only remotely interesting occurrence was when George walked up when Fred was called. No one noticed except for the Sorting Hat, who promptly exclaimed, "You are not Fred Weasley!" Minerva practically threw him off the stool and Fred walked up with the biggest grin on his face. Sadly, both of the twins were sorted into Gryffindor. Arden knew that she was going to make sure that she stayed friends with the Weasley twins.

After the twins were sorted, there was hardly any reason to pay attention to the ceremony, so Arden decided to get to know her new dorm-mates.

Arden tapped Seo on the shoulder, "Hi, I'm Arden," she held her hand out for Seo to shake.

Seo took it, "Seo Kim, nice to meet you."

Mary joined in, "Mary Buschrose, pleasure." She shook both Seo’s and Arden's hands.

Seo smiled, "So, looks like we'll be roommates, then."

Arden shrugged, "I guess, we're the only first year Ravenclaw girls sorted so far."

Mary smirked, "More closet space for us!"

She and Seo started gushing about clothing and the like. Arden sighed and put her chin in her left hand, a habit she picked up during Muggle school. Suddenly, Arden noticed that the Sorting Ceremony was finally over; thank Merlin.

Grandpa Albus stood up, "Welcome all to another year at Hogwarts. I will try not to bore you too much, as I am sure that we all are anxiously awaiting the feast. But, I would like to say a few words. Here they are: Borborygm! Absquatulate! Flibbertigibbet! Unremacadamized! Thank you." He sat down and the food appeared.

Arden knew that the Hogwarts food was fantastic, so she did not hesitate in filling her plate with pasta, vegetables, anything she could get her hands on. The other first years, from what she could see at the other tables, were a bit more hesitant. But once they took their first bites, lost their hesitation and started chowing down like a herd of starving hippogriffs.

A few minutes into the feast, Seo and Mary turned their attention to Arden. They figured that if they were going to be spending the next seven years living with this girl, they should at least try to get to know her and befriend her.

"So, Ari, was it?" Seo asked, catching Arden's attention.

Arden shook her head, swallowing her mouthful of steamed vegetables, "Arden," she corrected as nicely as she could manage. She glanced down at her plate and took another forkful of vegetables, they were exactly like she loved them; not cooked too much, but not exactly raw either. She did love raw vegetables, but mostly as snacks or in salads.

Seo nodded, "Right, so what's your family like? Mary and I were talking and we both come from Wizarding families. What about you?"

Arden paused in her movements. Did she want to tell these girls that she just met that her parents were dead? No, she decided, absolutely not. So, she decided to give as vague information as possible to these two girls. Use past tense when necessary, but not be too specific. "I come from magic, not that it matters. I went to Muggle school to see what it was like; give me a bit of perspective on both sides of the spectrum, if you will." 

Seo and Mary nodded. Mary spoke up, "Do you have any siblings?"

Arden shook her head, "Only child. What about you two?" Arden decided to turn the conversation back to the two of them; take the focus off herself before they started asking too many questions.

The rest of dinner consisted of Arden answering and dodging whatever questions Seo and Mary decided to ask, as well as socializing with the first year Ravenclaw boys. Arden did learn quite a bit about her new classmates and roommates; most of that information, however, was inconsequential (such as what blood-status everyone was) and would soon be discarded. In the midst of the dinner, however, the Ghosts of Hogwarts emerged from wherever they were previously dwelling, scaring the living daylights out of the Muggleborn first years.

Arden greeted some of the ghosts with a smile and a quick wave. The Grey Lady greeted the older students, and introduced herself to the new Ravenclaw first years; all six of them.

Arden decided to ask one of the Prefects about the typical size of each first year Ravenclaw class. She answered that Ravenclaw class sizes tended to be small, due to the specific set of characteristics required to get into the House, but there was the random outlier of a larger class here and there.

At the end of the feast, Grandpa Albus stood up, "Now that our bellies have been sated, I would like to make some start of term announcements before we head off to bed. First off, all first years should note that the Forbidden Forest is banned to all students not escorted by a staff member.

"Mister Filch has asked me to remind you that no magic is to be used in the corridors between classes.

"Finally, Quidditch trials will be held on the second week of term. Anyone interested in playing for their house team should contact Madame Hooch.

"Now, let us head off to bed to sleep off that wonderful meal. Off you trot!" He gestured with his wand towards the elegant, grand doors of the hall, which opened with a loud groan.

The prefects of each house escorted the first years to their respective common rooms.

The trek to Ravenclaw Tower was long, but enjoyable nonetheless. It was on the top of the fifth floor spiral staircase. The group of students stopped before a golden eagle knocker.

The prefect turned to face the group of students, "Each house has its own respective way to get into the common room. Gryffindor and Slytherin each have a password, Hufflepuff has to tap a specific barrel in the beat of Helga Hufflepuff, and we Ravenclaw students have to answer a riddle. Get it wrong and you won't have access to the common room until someone else gets it right."

The prefect turned her attention to the knocker and knocked twice. In a melodic voice, the knocker asked, "Voiceless it cries; Wingless it flutters; Toothless it bites; Mouthless it mutters."

The prefect smiled and turned to the first years, "Who wants to take a crack at it? Come on, don't be shy; there's no punishment for a wrong answer."

Arden looked at her fellow first years. Seo and Mary turned to each other and talked about what the answer could be. The three boys were also discussing amongst themselves. Arden thought, what could cry without a voice, bite without teeth, flutter without wings, and mutter with no mouth…As if answering her, a nippy breeze came through the window. Arden grinned. She walked to stand in front of the knocker and bravely answered, "The wind."

The knocker commented, "Rather blunt but acceptable," and opened the door to the most beautiful room Arden had ever seen.

It was all varying shades of blue, a wide, circular room, airier than any Arden had ever seen. Graceful etched windows punctuated the walls, which were hung with blue and-bronze silks; By day, they would have a spectacular view of the grounds, forest, and surrounding mountains. The ceiling was domed and painted with stars, which were echoed in the thick midnight-blue carpet. There were tables, chairs, and bookcases filled to bursting with books of all ages. Arden didn't think she'd have to spend too much time in the library. Off in a niche opposite the door stood a tall, beautiful, white marble statue of their house's founder, Rowena Ravenclaw. The statue stood beside a door that led, Arden guessed, to dormitories above. As she gazed at the statue, Rowena seemed to gaze back with a quizzical half smile on her face, beautiful yet slightly intimidating. A delicate looking circlet had been reproduced in marble on top of her head. There were tiny words etched into it; words, Arden guessed, were the words that the Ravenclaw house lived by.

"Wit beyond measure is man's greatest treasure," the prefect confirmed Arden’s guess, but interrupted her admiring of the room. She pointed to the statue, "That's what the model of the Lost Diadem reads, and what the original diadem is said to have read. Those words are what define Ravenclaw house, and what we take pride in. Now then," she pointed to the left set of stairs, "The girls' dorms are on the left," she then pointed to the right set of stairs, "Boys' on the right. I must warn you, the girls' stairs are charmed so that only girls can access the girls' dorms. If one of you boys tries to walk up there, the stairs will turn into a slide and force you back down."

Arden, Seo, and Mary walked up the stairs to the girls' dorms, followed closely by their prefect. The first years opened the door with a bronze '1' on it, and found their beds at long last. The room had three four-poster beds made of rosewood, each hung with dark blue velvet curtains with bronze trim. Next to each bed was a wardrobe and their respective trunks. There was a door opposite the middle bed, which Arden assumed led to the bathroom. Each bed was placed next to a window, giving them a lovely view of the lake and forest as they woke up.

Arden walked to the bed that had her trunk beside it and opened the curtains, revealing Mercutio asleep in the dead center of the mattress. She audibly sighed and decided to get ready for bed before attempting to move the large male cat.  
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Arden woke up, the next morning, before her roommates. As she lay in bed, absentmindedly stroking the still sleeping Mercutio, she pondered about inconsequential things: life, her social standing as of last night, how Minnie felt about her placement in Ravenclaw, but also about more serious matters. She had done some reading about Dark Magic, not because she was interested in it, but because she was curious. Eight years ago, Harry Potter, a one year-old baby, somehow had the power to vanquish one of the most evil wizards in history. Logically, that shouldn't be possible, yet somehow he had managed it. How could this infant, who should have died, had Voldemort just thrown him out the window or something of the sort, have killed Voldemort? He couldn't have, so Arden had done some research. She had come to the conclusion that Voldemort wasn't really gone. So where was he now…? She mused over that thought as she cast the time charm. It was about ten of eight, she needed to get ready if she wanted to eat before class.

As she dressed in her robes, it occurred to her that her ties and robes had been changed. Before, the embellishment on her robes was just the Hogwarts insignia, now it was Ravenclaw's, and her ties had changed to the blue and bronze colors of her new house. She shrugged, having known something along those lines would happen; she just didn't guess it would be overnight. She really should pay a visit to the house-elves and thank them for their hard work.

She walked down to breakfast alone, Seo and Mary were still sleeping and Arden didn't think it proper to wake them up. She barely knew the girls, what if they got angry at her and decided they didn't want to tolerate her? She figured that she should at least try to be their friend, since they’d be spending the next seven years together. As she stepped through the doors of the Great Hall, she shook her head, clearing it of the useless thoughts that buzzed around in it. Today was supposed to be a great day. Today was the start of the next seven years of her life, the beginning of her Wizarding career.

Arden sat at the Ravenclaw table alone. Minnie was walking around the Gryffindor table, greeting each of her students, both new and old, and handing out their schedules. It seemed that she wanted to get an early start. Minnie looked over at the Ravenclaw table and gave Arden a curt nod. Arden nodded back, understanding that Minnie wished to speak to her after classes.

Professor Flitwick appeared behind Arden, "Miss Greyson, hello. How are you, my dear?" he said with a smile in his squeaky voice.

"Very well, Professor, yourself?" Arden asked the man with a smile.

"Outstanding, I am very excited for this year. I have a very good feeling about your class in particular, Miss Greyson." He tapped a sheet of parchment and her schedule appeared. "I guess I'll be seeing you in class after breakfast, Miss Greyson," Flitwick gave her a smile, which then fell as he rustled through his robes, "...have it somewhere..." he muttered. After a few seconds, he smiled, "Got it!" he held out a small slip of parchment, "Your godmother asked me to deliver this to you," he handed it to her, giving Arden another smile before walking back to the teachers' table.

Arden opened the parchment first, seeing a note in Minerva's elegant handwriting.

_Come to my office after classes_

Arden looked to the teachers' table, catching Minerva's gaze quickly, giving her a smile before returning her attention to breakfast and examining her schedule. She had charms, potions, and transfiguration with the Gryffindors, Herbology and History of Magic with the Slytherins, and Astrology and Defense Against the Dark Arts with the Hufflepuffs. She rummaged through her bag and pulled out a set of Muggle highlighters. She color coated her schedule and quickly placed the markers back in her bag before anyone could notice.

Unfortunately, the act did not go unnoticed by a certain pair of red-headed twins, whom were watching their dark-brunette friend from across the hall at the Gryffindor table. They looked at each other, then at their schedules, and back at each other.

"You thinking what I'm thinking, Georgie?"

His twin smirked at him, "I believe so, Freddie."

Their plan would be put into action just before their first class, Charms.  
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Arden walked out of the Great Hall, closely followed by Fred and George. The twins were chattering away on either side of their brunette friend, Arden would occasionally give her input to their discussion. Suddenly, Arden felt a lot lighter and looked down, her bag was gone and the boys were rifling though it.  
"Oi, get out of my bag!" she ran over and tried to tug the boys away from her bag.

They brushed her off easily and simultaneously exclaimed, "Got it!" as they lifted her highlighters out of the bag. They turned towards her, "What are these?" they asked in synch.

Arden shuffled her feet, "Highlighters, they're like Muggle colored quills that you use to make text stand out on a page."

They leaned closer to her, "Why were you hiding these?" Fred asked.

"Yeah, they're cool looking!" George pointed out.

Arden blushed, "Because I like using Muggle writing utensils better than quills and ink…I was worried people would think I'm weird."

The twins looked at each other and nodded, seeming to communicate silently. They walked in opposite directions around Arden, lifting up her arms as they passed. Fred stopped in front of her, and George behind. Fred lifted up her chin.

"What do you think, Mister-Doctor-Professor Weasley?" Fred asked, making Arden giggle a little as he stared into her eyes and examined her face at an extremely close range.

George lifted her right arm, pretended to examine her elbow, and flexed it a bit, "The diagnosis is pretty clear to me, Mister-Doctor-Professor Weasley."

Fred nodded, feigning seriousness, "I completely agree. Miss Greyson, we feel the need to inform you that you are completely-"

"Without a hair of a doubt-" George continued.

"One hundred and ten percent weird," They finished together.

Arden's face fell, but Fred reassured her, "The symptoms include being friends with us, enjoying reading, being a witch…am I missing anything, Mister-Doctor-Professor-Scientist Weasley?"

George nodded, "Yeah, being human!"

Fred face-palmed, "Of course, how could I possibly forget that?"

Arden laughed, "So being weird is normal then?"

George stepped out from behind Arden and stood next to his brother, "Completely. We don't associate with anyone who isn't a bit on the odd-ball side. We enjoy the spice they bring."

Fred smirked, "And you are certainly a bit weird. What witch who comes from a Wizarding family enjoys reading Muggle books from the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries?"

Arden grinned at them and proclaimed, "This witch!"

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

"Welcome to Transfiguration. I am Professor Minerva McGonagall. I shall be your instructor for the next five years, unless you get your OWL in Transfiguration, then I shall be your instructor for your NEWT as well," Minnie lectured to the first year Slytherins and Hufflepuffs, which happened to be her last class of the day. She had Arden's class the next day. She instructed her class to take notes as she dove right into explaining the basic concepts of Transfiguration.

After class, she assigned a one-foot length essay on what they had covered to be turned in their next class. She anxiously waited for the students to leave so she could make her way to her office. As soon as the last Hufflepuff left, Minerva waved her wand, quickly organizing her room for the next day, walked out of the room, and locked the door.

Upon reaching her destination, Minnie unlocked the door and slipped inside. She put the kettle on, waved her wand to brighten the room a bit, and pulled out a tin of biscuits from under her desk. She sat in one of the comfy armchairs in front of her desk rather than behind it, as she usually did. She cast a charm on the door to alert her when Arden arrived.

Minutes passed before the charm alerted Minerva. When it did, she called out a happy, "Enter!" Arden walked in, beaming at seeing her godmother. Minnie stood up, embracing her goddaughter as she said, "I missed you too, love." She brushed a few stray dark chocolate curls away from Arden's face before leading her to the chair next to hers. "I have the kettle on, tea should be ready soon. Have some biscuits while we wait," Minnie informed her as she sat down. Taking a Jammie Dodger for herself, Minerva asked, "So how was your first day of classes?"

Arden was smiling so wide that Minerva was starting to question how deep her dimples could possibly get. "They were great! I had Charms, Herbology, and History of Magic already, but I have Astronomy tonight. I'm not sure if I'm excited about that class…"

Minnie smiled, remembering her own struggles to stay awake for that particular class. "You can do it," she said, placing a bracing hand on the young witch's shoulder. "I used to take a nap after dinner to stay awake.

Arden looked over at her godmother with a slightly sassy smirk upon her freckled face, "I was actually thinking of doing that or doing homework so that I can go to sleep right after class."

The kettle whined that it was ready, interrupting the two witches' conversation. Minerva waved her wand in a slightly random motion, causing it to fly over and land on the desk in front of them. She then conjured two mugs, one red and gold, the other black and turquoise. She walked over to the backside of the desk and retrieved a box of teas, setting it open next to the biscuit tin. Arden selected a strong chai tea, and Minerva a subtle black tea.

As they conversed, Minerva learned of Arden's newfound friendship with the Weasley twins. She had to admit, after seeing and teaching the Weasley twins' older brothers she was rather excited to teach Fred and George. Yes, the night before did stain the perfect picture she had painted in her mind a bit, but she knew, if she had a twin herself, she probably would have done something similar. It's not like these two boys could be any worse than the Marauders…right?  
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Minerva couldn't believe it. How could the Weasley family, who had produced students like Bill, Charlie, and Percy, produce those two...those two…demons? They seemed harmless enough, but they were rambunctious, prank pulling, obnoxious, need she go on? As soon as she walked in, they had set off a dung bomb and released a niffler! How in Merlin's name had two eleven year-olds gotten their hands on a niffler on their second day of school?

What had her mystified the most was that Arden was friends with the two of them. She knew very well that Arden would never aid their trickster ways, would she?  
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

After Transfiguration, the twins received detention, apparently the first that Minerva had distributed all year, and the first ever to a Weasley child. Arden had helped the twins hide the dung bomb and niffler earlier that morning. They had gotten the niffler from their dorm-mate Lee Jordan, whom was quickly worming his way into their little trio.

"Did you see her face?" George laughed, clapping his brother on the back, "Priceless!"

Arden grinned, "McGonagall looked ready to spit nails!"

Fred smirked, "Imagine Percy's face when he finds out what we did!" Fred and George snickered at the thought, confusing Arden slightly.

She thought back, Percy…she had heard that name before. She wracked her brain for answers, recalling someone of that name with the Weasleys. Ah ha! "Percy was the boy whose hair you charmed green, right? He's your brother!"

George nodded, "Correctomundo, our little Ravenclaw protégé," he patted her head.

Fred threw his arm around her shoulder, pulling Arden into his side, "Actually, he's one of our five siblings. There's Bill-"

"Charlie-" George continued.

"Percy-"

"Ickle Ronniekins-"

"And our darling baby sister, Ginny!" they finished together. They looked at each other, "Arden, do you have any siblings?" They asked simultaneously.

Arden shook her head, "Nope," she said popping the p, "Only child."

The twins' identical faces fell, "No siblings?" George asked astonished.

"What in Merlin's name did you do for fun?" Fred asked.

Arden shrugged, "Read, mostly. I have some Muggle friends that I made at Muggle school that I would hang out with sometimes."

The twins shook their heads furiously, taking one of Arden's hands in each of their own. "That's not the same at all," Fred commented, leading her down the hall.

George nodded in agreement with his brother, "Honestly, you haven't lived until you've had an argument with a sibling about who mum loves more, or even pulling a prank on one of your brothers!"

Arden raised an eyebrow skeptically, "And I suppose you've done that?"

The twins smirked at her, "'Course we have!" they simultaneously chirped, "Do it all the time, as a matter of fact!"

Fred looked over at George, "Should we tell her about what we did to Ickle Ron's teddy, Georgie?"

George beamed, "You read my mind, Freddie."

Arden smiled up at both of them, this aught to be good.  
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

The days turned to weeks, and it was all too soon time for the first Quidditch match of the year, Gryffindor vs. Hufflepuff. Fred, George, and their new friend Lee Jordan practically dragged Arden to the Gryffindor stands to cheer for their brother, Charlie. He was playing Seeker, and it was his last year at Hogwarts.

"Fred," Arden tugged on his sleeve, catching his attention from staring off into the distance waiting for the game to start, "What does your brother want to do after Hogwarts? Is he going to join Bill and work for Gringotts?"

Fred grinned, "Even better, he's going to Romania to work with dragons!"

George nudged his way into the conversation, "Yeah, he's talked with Hagrid a lot, and he got Charlie connections!"

Lee joined in, "Really?"

Fred smirked, "Yeah, everyone knows that Hagrid loves dragons. Wants one of his own, but Dumbledore won't let him have one."

Arden frowned, Grandpa Albus let her do anything. How come he wouldn't let Hagrid own a dragon? Some species are rather tame, if you get them at the right age and raise them right. Come to think of it, she hasn't visited Grandpa Albus in a while. She's been visiting Minnie on a weekly basis, sometimes twice a week. She needed to visit Grandpa Albus. She resolved to visit him that night.

The game started, pulling her away from her thoughts.

Gryffindor slaughtered Hufflepuff, 450-30! But, Arden thought with a grin on her face as she followed the twins to congratulate their brother, Ravenclaw is going to beat Gryffindor in the competition for the Quidditch Cup this year; she was sure of it.

"Charlie!" Fred and George chorused as they threw themselves at him. Charlie caught them, one under each arm.

"You were amazing!" George cheered, pulling himself away to look at his brother.

"Hufflepuff didn't stand a chance!" Fred agreed.

Lee added, "Your flying skills are amazing! I could never fly like that!"

Charlie beamed, showing off his pearly white smile, "Thanks, we trained hard." He turned his attention to Arden, standing off to the side, "Who's this?" he asked, picking up his discarded broom, "Haven't seen you around the Common Room. You a Gryffindor?" he asked, gesturing to her with the broom handle.

Fred sauntered over to Arden, throwing his arm around her, "This lovely lady you see before you, dear brother, is Arden Greyson. She's the brains behind our operations at Hogwarts."

George joined his brother on the opposite side of Arden, throwing his arm around her as well, "However we managed to do anything without her by our sides we'll never know."

Lee stood behind Arden, resting his crossed arms on her head (he was much taller than her), "She, unfortunately, is not in Gryffindor. It's her only flaw. She's in Ravenclaw."

Arden, meanwhile, blushed, not from embarrassment, but from being too hot. She struggled and writhed underneath all of the man-flesh that was wrapped around her. "Can you boys get off of me?" she asked, ducking under their grips and freeing herself at last. She ran off when she saw that Fred was going to chase after her.

"Oy, Arden, that's not fair!" Fred laughed, trying to catch his escaped friend.

"Get away from me, you're too hot!"

Fred winked, "That's what all the ladies say."

"Not like that, you freak!"

Charlie laughed, "Got a feisty one there, eh George?"

George smirked, "You have no idea."  
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Arden, bravely, made her way to the gargoyle statue that guarded the staircase to Grandpa Albus' office.

"Password?" the gargoyle asked in its gravelly voice, staring at Arden with blank stone eyes.

"Chocolate Frog," Arden confidently replied, smiling as the gargoyle moved aside, revealing the spiral staircase that she was well acquainted with. She skipped up the stairs, getting more and more anxious with each step. What if Grandpa Albus was upset with her for not visiting him all year? What if he didn't like her anymore? Even worse, what if he was upset that she didn't get into Gryffindor, his old house? Her anxiety grew to its climax as she finally reached the grand oak doors that blocked her access to his room. She reached out to knock, but stopped when she heard people conversing on the other side. Should she knock? Should she even be here? Her anxiety told her, "No, leave. He's busy. He'll only be angrier at you than he already is!" but her curiosity won out with its simple argument, "What's going on?"

She meekly knocked on the double doors, causing whoever was talking on the other side to fall quiet. The talking quieted down to whispers, peaking Arden's curiosity even further. After a couple more seconds, Grandpa Albus called, "Enter."

Arden walked, shyly into the room, her face hidden behind her messy dark chocolate curls. "Ah, Miss Greyson, I should have guessed," Dumbledore said, nodding at her. "Severus, if you could wait here, I'll be only a moment, " he requested, putting his hand, calmingly, on Arden's shoulder. He led her out of the room as Snape nodded, sitting in one of the comfy armchairs to wait for the Headmaster.

Arden noted that Dumbledore was leading her to his personal rooms behind his office, a rare treat to say the least. She had, of course, been in there a few times throughout the years, but only when he needed to finish important business or Arden asked to read a book that wasn't in his office nor the library. He tended to keep the best and oldest books to himself; a fact that Arden detested.

He sat her down on the settee in front of his bed and knelt to be face to face with her, "I'll be right back, I just need to finish up with Severus. You are welcome to any of the books, as always, but be very careful with them, alright?" Arden nodded in understanding. Grandpa Albus smiled and pecked her forehead, his long white beard hitting her in the face, as he knew it would.

He walked out, leaving Arden alone in the expansive, elegant room. She examined her surroundings, she never quite tired of this room; there was always something new to look at. The entire room was comfy looking, a deep red shag carpet covered the room, wall to wall with a large, intricately detailed, multicolored rug beneath the bed. The entire room was lined with bookshelves, at least one on each wall, each of which were filled to bursting with books and tchotchkes. The bed itself was a king sized, sleigh style made entirely of maple. The walls were decorated with multiple tapestries from all over the world, Arden knew because Dumbledore often times told her stories of his travels before he became a teacher, and eventually Headmaster. But, her favorite feature of the room was the ceiling. It was enchanted like the ceiling in the Great Hall, to mimic the night sky. As strange as it was, to be in an elderly man's room, Arden could spend all day in her Grandpa Albus' room and be perfectly at ease.

She took a book off the bookshelf, _Magick Moste Evile_ by Gonelot, an interesting read, she knew. If anyone found out about her strange taste for reading about the Dark Arts, she would be promptly banished to hang around the Slytherins for all eternity! But, she couldn't help herself; it was interesting! Whatever the case, Arden liked reading about Dark Magic and that was that.

She was about a quarter of the way into the book when Grandpa Albus finally returned. "You still enjoy reading about the Dark Arts, I see," he commented, sitting beside her on the settee, resting his arm on her head teasingly.

She sighed as she closed the book, committing which page she was on to memory, "Old habits die hard, you know that best Grandpa," she commented as she knocked his arm off gently, standing up to return the book to its place on the shelf closest to the door.

"It's not good to read things like that, Arden. It might sway you negatively," he warned.

Arden took out her wand, "Wingardium Leviosa," she charmed the book guiding it carefully back to where it once was, "Grandpa, just because I enjoy reading about the opposing side of the war against the Dark Arts doesn't necessarily insinuate that I'll be doing any of it." she replied calmly, as if she knew he would bring up that same argument. Nonetheless, she hoped he would drop the subject.

Thankfully, he did, "What brings you by today, my dear?"

"It came to my attention while I was at the match today that I haven't visited you once since my arrival here. I thought that needed to change, as I have been visiting Minnie on a weekly basis."

"Ah, Minerva did mention that."

"You've spoken to her recently then?”

He nodded, "Just this morning, in fact. We had tea before breakfast and discussed how the first years were doing in her class. We did speak of you, of course, and how you were getting on."

Arden blushed, "I'm sorry for not coming to visit sooner, Grandpa."

Albus' eyes twinkled in mirth, "It's alright, my dear, you were busy making friends. Minerva mentioned that you were particularly close with the Weasley twins."

Arden smiled, a mischievous twinkle similar to his appeared in her amber eyes, "They're funny and enjoy my take on things. After the match, Fred told his brother Charlie that I'm the brains behind their Hogwarts operations, and George said they don't know how they ever managed without me!"

Albus smiled and led her back to his office to continue their conversation over tea.  
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

As Arden made her way back to Ravenclaw Tower, her nose was deep in the book that she convinced Grandpa Albus to lend her; _Magick Moste Evile_ by Godelot. She knew that she would have to hide it from absolutely everyone, but she didn't want to leave without it. Godelot was one of the many wizards rumored to have owned the Elder Wand at one point! He thought it a teacher, and followed, what he assumed to be, its ways and teachings, all of which resulted in the book. 

She was so engrossed in the book that she didn't notice that she was reaching one of the many staircases scattered throughout Hogwarts. She kept walking as she normally would and fell, the book falling out of her hands and down the stairs with her. She tumbled uncontrollably and hit the bottom with a sickening crack. She knew no more.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

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> Send me requests, or whatever! Give me a follow if you so choose, and I promise I'll follow back! I post updates on the fic's update status sometimes.
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	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I DO NOT OWN HARRY POTTER OR ANY OF ITS CHARACTERS! I ONLY OWN MY OCS!
> 
> AAH! MORE PEOPLE READING MY STORY?! I CAN'T EVEN! *dies*

Fred and George were worried; they hadn't seen Arden since she left them after the Quidditch match the previous day. She missed all of her classes, but, as luck would have it, McGonagall had canceled Transfiguration...only to assign them a two-foot essay on the benefits of transfiguring a toothpick into a sewing needle. It was almost time for dinner, and Arden hadn't even sent them a note of if she was alive. Fred, out of the twins, was taking it the hardest. He had decided it was time for drastic measures.

"I DON'T BLOODY KNOW WHERE VANISHED OBJECTS GO! I JUST WANT TO SEE MY FRIEND!" Fred yelled at the brass knocker that guarded the entrance to Ravenclaw Tower.

George had to hold Fred back from blasting the door open with his emotionally enraged magic. George pulled Fred away from the door, "Fred, calm down."

"I can't bloody well calm down, George! Something's wrong, I can feel it!"

"Freddie, she's probably fine. What could have happened in one day? She probably just found a good book and spent the entire day trying to finish it."

"Into nonbeing," The twins heard a female voice say. They turned around to be met with both of Arden's roommates answering the knocker's riddle. What were their names again? Fred mused, something like hedgeflower? No...Ah, that was it!

"Oy, Kim and Buschrose, wait!" Fred called out, successfully catching their attention.

The two girls faced the twins, confusion written plain as day on their expressions. "Can we help you?" Kim asked.

George cut Fred off before he could answer, "Have either of you seen Arden today?"

Buschrose shook her head, "We thought she was with the two of you. But, then again, she wasn't in classes...and she didn't come back last night."

Fred snapped, "Well she's obviously not with us!"

The girls, offended by Fred's aggressive actions, walked into their common room, slamming the door behind them. They were concerned, obviously, but not enough to be angry about it.

The twins stood in tense silence, completely worried for their friend. What could have happened to cause her to disappear, and her roommates didn't seem in the least concerned about her. The silence was broken by the soft jingle of a bell and a loud, "Mraow". George felt something soft and warm brush against his legs. He and Fred looked down and met the hazel eyes of Mercutio. The chocolate tortoise shell cat had a note tied to his tail with a red ribbon. Fred, hurriedly, undid the ribbon and read the missive.

His expression changed from one of curiosity to one of pure shock, "She's in the hospital wing."

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Arden winced as Madame Pomfrey proded one of her bruised ribs with her wand. "Quit squirming!" the matron chided, playfully flicking the eleven year-old on her forehead. Arden had been in bad shape when she was brought into the hospital wing, a broken arm, cracked skull, and numerous bruises coating her skin. She had bruised her ribs, femurs, tibias, and even her back seriously. Nothing that Madame Pomfrey couldn't handle, of course, but it would be painful. Arden would be confined to the hospital wing for at least three days.

Abruptly, the hospital wing doors were burst open and two blurs of red attacked Arden in hugs.

"Fred? George? You two got my note I take it?" Arden commented, hugging her friends. The two gingers looked at each other and simultaneously hit the back of the brunette's head.

"Don't you dare ever scare us like that again!" they exclaimed together.

Madame Pomfrey tutted and smacked the back of the boys' heads in retaliation, "Don't hit an injured person, and don't yell in my hospital wing! Patients need quiet!"

The boys frowned, rubbing the back of their heads as they muttered about evil medi-witches.

Lee ran in, panting from the effort to keep up with them, "Couldn't wait for us, could you?" the third Gryffindor of their group called out to the trio. He walked to the side of Arden's bed that was unoccupied, "Alright there, Arden?"

Arden smirked, "You won't be getting rid of me that easy."

Madame Pomfrey scolded Lee as well before telling them that they had half an hour with Arden before they needed to go back to their dorms. She left the room to ask Professor Snape if he had a stronger potion for Arden's bone bruises. She, apparently, was lucky not to have broken more than her arm.

Arden's boys (they are her boys. She has them wrapped around her little finger) demanded to know exactly what happened. So, Arden, embarrassed, recalled everything from the time she left Grandpa Albus' office (not mentioning she was in his office, of course. She said she was in the library) to her waking up in the hospital wing. They, of course, laughed at her forgetting that stairs seemed to exist in Hogwarts. But, when she pretended to cry, they panicked and swore to bring her ice cream and cookies from the kitchens every day. Mercutio, while the boys were flustered, jumped onto Arden's lap and snuggled into her tummy. She started petting him with her non-broken arm and laughed at her boys, indicating to them that she wasn't crying. Before they could retaliate, Madame Pomfrey returned and kicked them out, telling them that they could visit her the next day.

Fred and George each hugged the brunette witch, while Lee just patted her head. Fred, as always, lingered just noticeably longer than his twin, confusing Arden to no end. She, as always, disregarded it because it probably held no meaning…right? She tried to reason out the possible causes for Fred's behavior as Madame Pomfrey poured a seemingly endless stream of potions down her throat and onto various bandages for her black and blue flesh.

Weeks after Arden had left the hospital wing, it was finally time for the Halloween Feast. From end to end on the house tables was more sweets and food than Arden had ever seen in her short eleven years of life. Classes were taxing, and her responsibilities in aiding her boys on an endless amount of prank-pulling fun tired her brain. The sugar and treats of the Halloween Feast were exactly what she needed to recharge.

After the feast, George, Lee, and Fred pulled Arden away from her trek to Ravenclaw Tower.

"What do you want now?" Arden whined, stomping her foot childishly, "I want to go to bed!"

Lee laughed, "Calm down, love. We have a very good reason for this. You know how Filch always nicks our stuff after our pranks?"

Fred tossed his arm around Arden's shoulder, as had become his habit, "We've heard a rumor that he keeps all of the really cool stuff in his office.”

George gave a half smile as he followed his brother's lead and tossed his arm around Arden's unoccupied shoulder, leaning a bit of his weight on her side, "We want to see what he’s kept, and maybe take some for ourselves…" he trailed off.

Arden sighed and conceded; knowing that they’d just bother her until she did anyway, "Alright, let's do it."

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Arden, George, Lee, and Fred his behind a few of the suits of armor on the fifth floor as they waited for Filch to turn down one of the many corridors and away from them. Arden, with bated breath, leaned against Fred’s shoulder, feeling safer if she had some sort of physical comfort. Arden felt Fred clutch one of her hands nervously. Her breathing, as if on cue, hitched and she chanced a glance up to look at Fred's face. She got a profile view of his face. She started counting his freckles, one by one, starting at his jaw and eventually leading her amber gaze to his brown eyes. She loved the fire he’d get in his eyes whenever he was excited.

"Let's go," Lee whispered, snapping Arden out of her thoughts. Fred jumped, blushed, shook his head to clear out some of the cobwebs, and followed his brother and Lee into the hallway, with Arden’s hand still in his.  
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

The foursome ran back down the second floor to room 234-00, Filch's office to be exact, and slammed the door shut and locked it behind them. They leaned against it, panting and terrified.

"You just had to set off that dung bomb, didn't you?" Arden chided Lee.

"What, I was excited!" he retorted breathlessly.

They had succeeded in distracting Filch on the fifth floor by letting loose a few Ever Bashing Boomerangs. Unfortunately, Mrs. Norris, Filch's horrid cat, had been tailing them…until Lee decided, in a high of adrenaline, to set off a dung bomb in the middle of the third floor west corridor. She had been caught in the crossfire and ran back to find her master. They just hoped that he wouldn't check his own room for students breaking curfew.

The twins recovered first and started riffling through the caretaker's drawers, looking for cool stuff to nick, their expressions unnaturally serious.  
Arden and Lee looked over their ginger friends' shoulders and watched as they went through each drawer quickly, but carefully. After they reached the seventh drawer of Filch's desk, marked "Confiscated and Highly Dangerous", they came across a yellowed, old, folded piece of parchment. It was sitting alone in this large drawer. The twins communicated silently, nodded, and handed it off to Arden simply telling her, "Find out what it does."

Arden stepped back from the boys and turned the parchment over and over again in her hands. She eventually pulled out her wand and started poking at it, wondering what it did. The drawer said confiscated, so it had to be fun and magical, because Filch hated magic (Arden thought that he was a squib). It also was "highly dangerous", so it had to be extremely useful. So fun and useful, and confiscated by Filch all aimed to prank-pulling items, so that meant that the person, or persons, who used this parchment must have been pranksters like themselves. Arden wondered how to make it do something. Maybe there was a spell of some sort?

Fred took Arden's arm and tugged her towards the door, "We should go, Filch could be back any moment."

"What about this?" Arden held up the parchment.

"Figure it out on your own, please? We've got our hands full of some antique Zonko's stuff!" George pleaded.

Arden sighed and nodded, knowing that she would have ended up doing so anyway.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

That night, Arden snuck down to the common room, greeted those in her house who were a bit more eccentric and chose to stay in the common room until ungodly hours of the night reading or working on personal projects, sat in her favorite spot on the beanbag by the fire, and stared at the parchment. She had brought her charms book, and one of her more advanced spell books that she bought for a bit of extra practice, to try and figure this mystery out. She knew that she wouldn’t be able to sleep until she did.

Arden sat there for hours, paging through her books and eventually decided to look at the problem from a more analytical angle. She had moved over to the couch when she got a bit too warm for her liking. She mused, hanging upside down on the couch, her legs hooked over the back and her head hanging off the seat causing her hair to fall down in graceful dark chocolate waves to pool on the floor. She liked this position because it caused more blood-flow to the brain, causing her to focus more on her head than the rest of her body. This parchment was more than likely used by pranksters for some reason or another. It was very carefully folded, the creases very worn from age and being folded in the same way over and over again. It was rather thick as well, leading Arden to believe that its purpose was for more than simple prank pulling; it was something better. Whoever designed this was a genius, an absolute genius. Arden had borrowed her housemate's quill and ink to try to write on it, but the ink wouldn't stay, it just ran off onto the carpet. This led her to conclude that it had been charmed to stay as clean as possible (protective spells in place to ensure that happened). It was also surprisingly clean for having been sitting in one of Filch’s drawers for who knows how long. Arden was sure that the parchment wasn't just simple parchment, it had some magical property, she was sure of it. So, a thick, carefully folded, meticulously charmed piece of old parchment that was supposed to stay as pristine as possible, and was most likely owned by some sort of genius prankster…or pranksters…What would a prankster need? Then it hit her. They would need to know where their victim(s) were! Of course, how could she have not seen it before! It was a map! A magical map! Now she just needed to figure out how to work it.

 

Trial and error was bloody murder, but, after a sleepless night, she had finally gotten it. Luckily, it was a Saturday, so she could sleep as soon as she showed the boys how the map worked and what it did. Arden ran up the stairs to where she knew Gryffindor Tower was located. She stopped in front of the portrait of the Fat Lady, waiting for someone to come out. She nearly passed out asleep waiting, but almost an hour later, she was shaken awake by none other than Charlie Weasley.

"Oy, Aria right?" Charlie asked, shaking her shoulder.

Arden, blearily opened her eyes and said, "No, Arden. Can you do me a favor and get Fred, George, and Lee?"

Charlie nodded, "'Course, be right back." He disappeared into the portrait hole, but this time, Arden didn't have to wait nearly as long.

"Arden!" her boys tackled her in a hug.

"Did you figure it out?" Lee asked, causing Fred to smack the back of his head.

"Idiot, she's exhausted, of course she did!" Fred wrapped her up in a bear hug, "You're the best!"

George stole her from his twin, "The absolute smartest witch in history!"

Arden laughed, a bit more awake with all the energy the twins were smothering her in, "Come on, we'll go down to the courtyard and I'll explain it to you!"

"So this shows everyone in the castle and Hogsmeade and where they are all day every day?" Lee asked, trying to get the gist of what was going on.

"Exactly, but some parts of the castle aren't on here. I think that's because the map makers, Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs, didn't know about them," Arden explained, tapping the map with her wand, "Mischief Managed." She tried to hand it back to the twins, who pushed it back towards her.

George said, "You keep it."

Arden was confused, "What? Why? You two are the main idea guys and prank-pullers in this relationship!"

Fred shook his head, "Be that as it may, you're the brains behind our operation. We come up with ideas, you make them work."

George nodded and continued, "You're the one who is behind the scenes, pulling the strings and not getting caught, we're the ones out there doing it. This map will just make your job easier."

“Besides,” Fred smirked, “We can borrow it if we need it, right?”

Arden was shocked at the level of thought that the boys went into in such a short span of time. Maybe she was rubbing off on them. If so, good, she needed to do that more often. She nodded and put the map back in her pocket, resolving to only use it if necessary…like getting into the Restricted Section of the library, or discovering more shortcuts and pathways in and out of the castle.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

It was finally the week before Christmas break, and the castle was in full Christmas decorum. Hagrid had brought in four ginormous Christmas trees, which Professor Flitwick had his seventh years aid him in decorating, the corridors had tinsel draping over every window frame, and the snow covered grounds were the perfect stages for the greatest snowball fights in history.

The twins found Arden reading in one of the deeper window sills on the sixth floor hallway, away from prying eyes, and dragged her down to the first floor and out to the grounds to join them, Lee, Charlie, and even stick-up-his-arse Percy for an outstanding snowball fight. They split up into teams of three to wage war on each other: Percy, Fred, and Arden against Lee, George, and Charlie. To be fair, they allowed each team to build their fort before firing off their ammo. No magic was allowed, they were doing things the Muggle way, with the exception of one rule. You get hit, you're out and need to wait for the war to be over. It was almost like a game of Muggle Dodgeball.

After the forts were built, "On the count of three…" Charlie trailed off, he and Percy, the "team leaders", standing over the forts. "One…" Fred gave Arden one of the balls he made. "Two…" Arden and him gave each other a look, saying, silently, 'cover my back and I'll cover yours'. "THREE!" Charlie ducked behind the fort and the war began.

Fred and Arden decided to take Charlie out first. Arden was their team's strategist. She was to watch and wait until she got a rhythm on the person, then aid in taking them down. She watched Charlie through a small peephole they built into their fort. Charlie was popping up from behind the fort to throw approximately every five seconds. She analyzed the way that he threw the packed snow and got a good reading on his style. She determined that the best time to take him out was as he threw the ball. Arden relayed her findings to Fred and Percy, who was actually starting to enjoy himself. The boys waited for Arden's cue.

"Steady…wait…" Arden whispered from her spot behind the fort. She watched as Charlie stood back up, "Now!" The three of them finally popped up and sent their ammo flying. Charlie dodged Arden's throw by stepping right into Percy's line of fire. He hit his older brother straight in the chest.  
The next target was George, but his style was similar enough to Fred's that Fred was sure he didn't need Arden's help…that is until they took each other out at the same time.

"Fred!" Arden called out in mock concern.

Fred collapsed on the snow-covered ground with his eyes closed, "Arden…?" he asked groggily. He opened his eyes slowly, "Ah, it is you…This is it for me…"

"No, Fred don't die and leave me with Percy!" she playfully acted as though he was dying.

Fred shakily reached a hand up and cupped Arden's cheek, red from the cold and physical exertion. "Sorry for leaving you…I wasn't quick enough…"

Arden chuckled, "Don't say that…You're still in this."

Fred shook his head, "Afraid not, love…goodbye…" he let his hand fall to the ground.

Charlie walked over and dragged his little brother off by his heels, Arden fake-crying over the 'death' of her friend.

During all this, Lee had taken Percy out by pure luck. The only two that remained were Arden and Lee.

"Get'er Lee!" Charlie and George called out. Fred was laying 'dead' on the ground next to Percy, who was now tired of being outside and would very much rather be inside drinking something warm.

Arden took a deep breath to calm herself. She knew that Lee would know that she wanted to analyze his throwing patterns, so she decided not to do that and just wing it; disregard her overly analytical personality and just try to be an average kid for a change.

That didn't work out so well. Lee took her out on the first throw, causing her team to lose.

Arden sat on her heels, drawing in the snow with her pointer finger, embarrassed. She saw a pair of familiar trainers blocking her vision and looked up, Fred was holding his hand out for her to take, "Arden, come on, let's get some lunch."

Arden was slightly surprised, "You're not mad at me?"

Fred cocked his head to the side, "Should I be?"

Arden's face fell, as it often did when she didn't understand something and it made her upset, "Of course! You put your faith in me to win the snowball fight and I failed horribly! You should be-"

Fred put his hand over her mouth to stop her from talking, "Hey, I'm not mad, it's just a game, love. Am I ever mad at myself for losing exploding snap to you?" Arden shook her head, he was actually proud when she beat him. "Alright, how about when George gets better marks than me in Potions?" She again shook her head. "Alright, if I'm not mad then, than why should I be mad now?" He let his hand drop so that Arden could speak.

Arden shrugged and allowed Fred to pull her up to her feet. But, he overestimated the amount of force needed and they both fell to the ground, Arden on top of Fred. He had wrapped his arms around her instinctively, trying to protect her from the fall. The two eleven year-olds laughed at their clumsiness for a few minutes, stopping when their eyes met. The two blushed, looking away from each other. Arden was half hoping that she wouldn’t have to move.

Charlie shocked them out of their thoughts after a few moments, "Oy, Fred, let the girl go!" he said, pulling Arden off of him and out of his arms.

Fred stood and brushed the snow off of himself. He and Arden ran off to join George and Lee, who were waiting for them by the Entrance Hall. Charlie gave Arden’s retreating silhouette a knowing look. How the eleven-year-olds couldn’t see what was so clearly obvious amused him. 

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

It was two days before Arden returned to apartment 303 with Minerva. She would be taking the floo home, under the excuse that "my godmother can't pick me up from King's Cross." It seemed to placate the Weasleys and Lee.

Seo and Mary, though, they were another story. "Arden," Seo got her attention as they were getting ready for bed that night, "Can I ask you a question?"

Mercutio hissed from his spot on her bed, seemingly in his sleep. He had never really liked either of Arden's roommates. She had read that cats, at least in the magical world, all contained some sort of magic or magical creature in their biological makeup. She knew that most Wizarding world cats had some percentage of kneazle in their DNA. Arden had noticed that he seemed to understand human speech, and seemed to be rather intuitive. She noted that she should probably look into his lineage, if at all possible. 

Arden shook her head, clearing her thoughts, "Sure, Seo. What's on your mind?"

Seo shifted in her spot, glanced at Mary, who nodded from her bed, and turned back to Arden "Well, this is sort of awkward, but…"

Mary interjected, "Do you have parents?"

Arden was taken aback, "What do you mean?" Mercutio woke up, turned to face the two girls, and hissed, his tail rising. He seemed to be in tune with Arden's emotions; protecting her when she felt threatened. Interesting, Arden mused, she'd have to do more magical cat research.

Mary tried to justify their inquiry, "Well, we've only ever heard you speak of your godmother, you haven't written to your parents, let alone get letters at breakfast from them, and when asked about them you just change the subject."

Seo added, "And you always speak of them in the past tense."

Arden smirked a bit and pet Mercutio so that he would calm down. He did and walked over to cuddle with her, nuzzling her tummy as he often did. So, Arden thought, they did notice. They seemed to be rather detail oriented. She filed that tidbit away for later. "Well, I did have parents at one point. They were killed a month after I was born," she answered simply.

The two girls were taken aback, "Didn't you say both of them were wizards?" Mary interrogated, "They were both half-bloods, right?"

Arden nodded, "Yeah, but they were active members in the Order of the Phoenix."

"How did you not die?" Seo asked.

"Yeah," Mary added, "Don't most parents keep their baby with them at all times?"

Arden shook her head, "From what my godmother told me, they wanted a night to themselves so they asked family friends to watch me for a couple hours."

The girls seemed to accept that but continued, "So why are you taking the floo home?"

Arden sighed exasperatedly, "My godmother can't get out of work in time to take me home and she doesn't want me walking there by myself, or taking a cab."

Her roommates glanced at one another uncertainly, but nodded in understanding and started talking about their Christmas break plans. Arden let out a breath of relief, glad to be done with that whole situation.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Arden calmly walked to Grandpa Albus' office to take the floo home. When she reached the gargoyle, she didn't need to give the password, it just let her up without asking. She skipped happily up the stairs, carrying with her Mercutio's empty cage and the purse with the undetectable extension charm on it to fit her books, clothes, and presents for her friends and roommates to owl out when she got home. Mercutio walked beside her, hissing at anything that came too close. He had become quite more protective over her after she fell down the stairs. He scarcely ever left her alone, unless she was with her boys, Minnie, or Grandpa Albus; only then would he go off and do his own thing.

Upon reaching her destination, Arden knocked confidently on the large double doors before opening them, letting Mercutio enter first. "Afternoon Grandpa," Arden smiled, walking over to the elderly wizard's desk to hug him.

"Hello, dear," Dumbledore hugged her back. He felt a fuzzy warm sensation near his ankle and looked down, only to be greeted by Mercutio rubbing against him. "Hello to you too, Mercutio."

The large male cat meowed, halting his ministrations and walking over to relax on the chair next to Fawkes' perch. The phoenix, newly revived, attempted to flutter down to sit next to the male cat. He failed, as he had no flight feathers, and fell, but Mercutio caught him and placed the bald, tiny, phoenix close to his belly for warmth. "It seems as though Mercutio and Fawkes have become rather close," Dumbledore commented.

Arden smiled in pride at how caring her cat seemed to be, "Indeed, he's gotten rather protective of me after I fell down the stairs."

Dumbledore smiled, his blue eyes twinkling in delight, "Is that so?"

Arden nodded, "And he seems to be in tune with my emotions as well. The other night when I felt threatened by my roommates he woke up and nearly pounced at them."

"Well, all cats in the magical word have some sort of magic to their biology, Arden, I assume you know that."

"Of course I do."

"I have some books on feline biology in the magical world if you're interested."

Arden smiled, "That would be fantastic, Grandpa, thank you."

The older wizard returned the smile before changing the topic, "Now, then, how was your week?"

Arden relaxed a bit, feeling the conversation change to a more informal tone, "Tiring, but that's normal. How was yours?"

"Going rather well, thank you. I'm rather excited for this holiday, I feel as though I may finally get the present I've been longing for."

Arden was surprised, Grandpa Albus never seemed to be longing for a particular present. She'd always gotten him books or made him drawings, some of which he had hanging in his room. "What would that present be, Grandpa?"

Dumbledore gave her the sweetest of smiles, "A pair of thick woolen socks." Arden had to stop herself from laughing, confusing Dumbledore, "Do you find my desires humorous, my dear girl?"

Arden pulled the purse open, digging around in it, her amber eyes held a glimmer of mischief in them as she answered, "I was going to give you your present on Christmas, but now I can't resist!" She pulled out a long rectangular box wrapped in a deep purple shade. She held it out to Dumbledore, who read the silver card first before digging into it. His blue eyes were tearing up as he pulled out a pair of red and gold, thick woolen socks.

The old man pulled her into a hug, "Thank you, my dear. You have no idea what this means to me."

Arden hugged him back, "You always say that everyone assumes you want more books, but you once told me that one can never have too many socks."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ALSO [FOLLOW ME ON TUMBLR!](https://nerdykrats.tumblr.com/)  
> Send me requests, or whatever! Give me a follow if you so choose, and I promise I'll follow back! I post updates on the fic's update status sometimes.
> 
> ALSO ALSO, CHECK OUT MY FRIEND CICIWEEZIL BECAUSE THEIR STORIES ARE AWESOMESAUCE AND THEY ARE SUPERMEGAFOXYAWESOMEHOT! [THEY ARE MY BETA AND I LOVE THEM!](https://archiveofourown.org/users/CiciWeezil/pseuds/CiciWeezil)


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I DO NOT OWN HARRY POTTER OR ANY OF ITS CHARACTERS! I ONLY OWN MY OCS!

It was the day before Christmas Eve when Arden was readying the bag that would take Charlie, George, Percy, and Fred their presents. She didn't celebrate Christmas; Minnie had told her that her mum and dad were from old Jewish wizarding families. When she told her friends that she was Jewish, they said that they'd send her presents when the holiday started. Arden actually liked being a Jewish witch. While she was certainly not orthodox, she did enjoy the stories, kept the values, and observed the big holidays as best as she could.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Break was finally over. After deciding which gifts she would be bringing back to school with her (the books that she had received from Minnie, Grandpa Albus, and Charlie, as well as the sweater that Mrs. Weasley had knitted for her) she had flooed back to school. She was in the middle of unpacking when she realized that, over break, she missed being constantly stimulated. Over term, she had a multitude of different problems to solve, finding and exploiting the loopholes in Hogwarts rules, and essays to write…even though the essays were normally very simplistic and she could get them done rather quickly. Her friends kept her alert and classes kept her on her toes, ready to jump through whatever loops she could to get done what needed to be done. Over break, she had none of that. She had no one asking her to figure out a way for them to do something completely against the rules and still not get in trouble, no one to watch out for on their new map, and certainly no one forcing her to write essay after essay or practice spell after spell. 

Arden had just finished unpacking and had begun reading Secrets of the Darkest Art, which she had finally convinced her Grandpa Albus to let her borrow for a bit of light reading (promising him that she would never ever put the knowledge in this book to practice) when Seo and Mary walked in, chattering away about inconsequential matters as always. Arden hadn't been paying attention, having just gotten to a particularly juicy part about Horcrux creation, and Seo shrieked at seeing Arden so engrossed in a book detailing such horrible magic.

Arden jumped, not letting go of the book, upon hearing Seo’s screech, "What the bloody hell do you think you're doing?" Arden furiously asked her roommate, "You almost gave me a heart attack!"

Seo was livid, "What am I doing? WHAT ARE YOU DOING? That book is evil, why the hell do you have it? I don't want you in our room if you're going to be reading material like that!"

Arden scoffed, "You actually believe that a book can be evil? What kind of Ravenclaw are you?"

Seo’s eyes flashed dangerously, "A good one, unlike you! That book is about darker magic than I would ever dare to so much as think about!”

Arden smirked, "That's why I'm reading about it.”

“What do you mean?” Mary asked.

As Arden was about to reply, Sen sneered, “Obviously she wants to be the next You-Know-Who. But, she can’t join him because he’s gone.”

Arden scowled in her direction and retorted, “If you actually think that someone who had a vast access to material such as this book is really gone than you're more of a dullard than I thought. This one book alone could have given him the answer to the one dilemma that plagues dictators, both Muggle and otherwise."

"What dilemma is that?" Mary dared ask, causing Seo to glare knives at her.

Arden sassily replied, "Riddle me this: You have a plan to take over the world, have everyone kneel at your feet and do your bidding, but you always have one flaw. What is the flaw? What could possibly be hindering your absolute control and knowing the loyalty of your followers?" Seo and Mary seemed stumped, but Arden knew that she had them. No Ravenclaw could resist a good riddle. It was one of the key traits that unified their house, and let them into their common room in the first place. After a few minutes, Arden answered the riddle for them, "Mortality. A follower is only as loyal as his master is mortal. When you die, a new master with values  
not exactly yours will take your place. How can you ensure that never happens?"

Mary and Seo looked at each other and answered, nearly in synch, "Immortality…"

Arden nodded, "Precisely."

"Wait, wait, wait. You mean to tell me that you think that You-Know-Who read that book," Seo gestured to Secrets of the Darkest Art, still held protectively in Arden's arms, "And unlocked the secret to immortality?” She scoffed, walking towards her bed, on the opposite side of the room, to unpack, “You're crazy!" 

Arden stood up, "And I assume you really think that he's gone, than?"

Seo muttered just loud enough to be heard, "Better than hallucinating that he read that damn book."

"You just said that it's full of the darkest sorts of magic!"

"I said extremely dark, not darkest. The magic that he did was the darkest."

Arden was seething, "You're completely dense if you think of him as anything except alive."

"I assume you want to join him, then? I mean, you're so dead-set on him being alive?"

"Of course not! My parents died fighting his Death Eaters, and my godmother was an active Order member! Why would I want to join him?"

Seo was about to argue back when Mary interjected, "Why do you think he's alive?"

"Come on, do you really think that the darkest wizard since Grindelwald could really be defeated by a one-year-old infant? Are you really that thick? Albus Dumbledore, one of the strongest Wizards to ever exist, had trouble defeating Gellert Grindelwald. How could a one-year-old infant defeat You-Know-Who, who is said by Dumbledore himself to be stronger than Grindelwald? If Harry Potter defeated You-Know-Who, than You-Know-Who is probably hiding out somewhere, biding his time and waiting for the opportune time to make a comeback."

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Arden banged her head on the big table in the Ravenclaw common room, causing a pile of crumpled up sheets of parchment to scatter around her head. It was already March and she had no clue what to get the twins for their birthday. It was coming up and she was absolutely clueless. 

Arden had written down several ideas of what to get the twins, but none of them seemed right to her. They were her best friends and she was absolutely dumbfounded as to what to get them for their birthday. Curse her over active imagination for giving her stupid ideas for her best friends' birthday presents! It's so much easier to give her Muggle friends presents. It was just so easy to walk around a shopping center for an hour or so and just pick out some CD or camera with no issues. In the Wizarding world, you had so many other options, and she was very restricted with where she could go shopping. How in the bloody hell could she get the perfect present for the twins that they probably didn't have? What could she get her wizard friends?

Suddenly…a thought occurred to her…yes, that could work! She picked up her things and booked it to Minnie's office, she had some begging to do.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

The dreaded day had finally come, the first of April, better known as the birthday of the Weasley twins. Luckily, or unluckily depending on which way you looked at it, they had classes that day. On top of that, it was one of the days where the Ravenclaw first years didn't have class with the Gryffindors, so Arden didn't get to spend time with the boys until later. They also had a prank to pull.

Arden and her boys, very early before breakfast, were hiding behind a small, secret passageway in the dungeons that Arden had found on the map. They waited for Snape to come out of his rooms before their plan could be put into action. 

The door opened and Snape stepped out, tripping over the trigger wire, which pulled a lever and dumped a violet, smelly, potion onto his greasy head. When he stood up, his hair was bright neon pink and growing at a steady rate. Before the end of the day, his hair would be so long that when he stood at the front of his classroom, it would be running out the door. The four first years held in their laughter and shut the secret passageway door before Snape could find them.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Having the map was Arden's favorite part of their plan. She could utilize the passageways in Hogwarts to her advantage and never get caught by Filch or his nasty cat, Mrs. Norris. She was able to get to the kitchens in record time, but that also had a downside, she had to wait. If there was one thing Arden hated, it was waiting for anything. Good thing she was in the middle of a great book, Hairy Snout, Human Heart by an anonymous author. The book enraptured Arden; it was completely heart wrenching and she started crying several times throughout her read of just half of it. She had to put it down a few times, a thing she abhorred doing when reading a really good book, because she couldn't make out any of the words.

Arden's shoulders were shaking in silent sobs for the perils this poor wizard afflicted with lycanthropy had to endure. Unfortunately, this was when the boys decided to show up.

"Oy, Arden, guess what!" Lee ran across the room to join her, the twins tailing close behind him, "Fred and George just told off Percy! They called him a 'Gleeking Beef-Witted Apple-John'! It was seriously…Damn, Arden, are you ok?"

The twins took one glance at each other's faces before rushing to see what was apparently wrong with Arden. "Why are you crying, love? It's our birthday, tis not a day for tears!" George commented, going into his very posh voice he tended to use to make her laugh.

Fred pulled her into his arms, "Why are you crying, love?" He pulled back to look into her eyes, "If you crying is your idea of a good birthday present, you're sorely mistaken," wiping her tears away with his thumbs.

Arden laughed a bit, pushing Fred off of her, "It's this book; it's heartrending, as Dumbledore would put it. The author had lycanthropy and he wrote down his experiences with it and it's just very sad."

The three boys simultaneously smacked Arden on the back of her head, "How dare you concern us by crying over a book!" the twins condescendingly criticized their friend jokingly.

Lee added with an overly dramatic sigh, "Seriously, not cool, Arden."

Arden pouted, "But it's really sad! At this one part, he said-"

Fred covered Arden's mouth, "Quit being depressing, it's my birthday." Arden licked his hand, causing him to jump away and wipe it on George’s robes, "Oy, what the hell did you do that for?"

Arden giggled, "Serves you right!" then she turned around to face the portrait of fruit and tickled the pear, opening the door to the kitchens.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

"Happy birthday to you~" Lee and Arden finished off, signaling to the twins it was time to blow out the candles on their respective cupcakes. The first years felt that they didn't need an entire cake, so they only asked for one cupcake each and let the twins choose what flavor cake and frosting. One of the house elves, Twinkle, had fetched them each one vanilla cupcake with chocolate fudge frosting and two candles for the twins' cupcakes.

As they finished the cupcakes, Arden and Lee pulled out their presents for twins, setting them on the table. Fred and George each opened one present, Fred opened Arden's and George opened Lee's. Lee had gotten them a coupon for one free Cleansweep Five with the purchase of another.

"I know you two love Quidditch, and my dad got the coupon from Mr. Bagman in a bet they made about the last World Cup match. I figured you'd like it better than me, I don't even want to play for the team so…"

The twins were astounded, "This is amazing, Lee!" Fred commented.

"Amazing? Bloody brilliant is what I'd call it!" George added, gazing at the coupon as if it held all the secrets to the universe.

Arden was dumbfounded, they were going to hate her present, in comparison to Lee's it was just absolute dragon dung. With baited breath, Arden waited for Fred to finish opening her present.

"Wow, Arden, this is so cool!" Fred grinned, holding up the box of Muggle magic tricks.

"Fred, they know how to make it look like you performed a vanishing spell!" George exclaimed, "We should use that on Percy over summer, make him think we did advanced magic outside of school!"

Arden was stupefied; they liked her present? But, Lee had given them a free broom! How could her present possibly hold a candle to Lee's? Arden decided to express her concerns to Fred on their way back up to their dorms. They usually split at the fifth floor, which gave her plenty of time to talk to him alone.

They finished their celebrations and waited for Arden to give them the all clear with the map to sneak back upstairs. Noting that Filch was at the astronomy tower, Mrs. Norris was near the library, and the patrolling teachers were all scattered away for their planned trek, Arden gave the all clear, and the group started making their way up.

Arden held Fred back, letting George and Lee get ahead of them. "Can I talk to you?" she asked nervously, her gaze down at her feet.

Fred nodded, taking her hand and leading her up the stairs at a much slower pace, "Of course, love. Why don't you tell old Fred what's on your mind?"

Arden expressed her concerns about her present by bluntly stating, "My present is hogwash compared to Lee's…"

Fred almost laughed, but held it in for fear of it echoing and notifying the patrolling teachers, "You know something, Arden? While Quidditch and brooms are awesome and all, our real passions lie with pranks. With this Muggle Magic Kit, we can do so much cool stuff! And our dad will freak out over it. Trust me, even though it's not as extravagant as Lee's, we love it." Arden smiled, "That's what I was looking for," Fred hugged his female friend, and all was right with the world again.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

**One month later:**

"Fred, calm down," George begged his brother, whom was pacing back and forth in front of George, "and stop pacing, you're making me dizzy!"

"Nothing, we have no ideas for Arden's birthday," Fred commented, continuing to pad across the room and back, frustrated with his and George's problem. It was Arden's birthday in less than a month, and they had no clue what to get her. Books were an obvious answer, but they didn't want to just keep getting her books every time they needed to get her a present.

George groaned, "Why can't we just get her a teddy bear or something?"

Fred stopped in his pacing to glare at his twin, "Because that's not something she'd want, idiot!"

"Oy, don't call me an idiot, you dollophead!"

"You're a yeasty, toad-spotted, varlot."

"Puny, milk-livered, maggot-pie"

This game of insults went on for a while, getting more and more elaborate each time, until Fred had an epiphany. He suddenly had the perfect idea for the perfect gift for Arden.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

The second that Arden walked into the Great Hall for breakfast on May 20th, "Happy birthday!" The twins tackled Arden in a double-sided twin-bear-hug that only they were capable of giving her.

Fred whispered, "We expect you outside the kitchens around ten tonight, alright?" Arden gave the subtlest of nods before they released her from their grasp.

Lee then glomped her as well, "HAPPY BIRTHDAY, ARDEN!" he proclaimed to the entirety of the Great Hall, thoroughly embarrassing Arden in front of the entire school. Her face turned such a violent shade of red that it rivaled the twins' hair! She hugged Lee back then rushed to sit at the table of giggling Ravenclaws. The boys made their way back to the Gryffindor table and breakfast commenced as usual.

Halfway through breakfast, a large Hogwarts mail owl flew through the window and landed in front of Arden, a package held in its claws and tied to its leg, in its beak was a letter addressed to her. She took the letter and untied the package from the bird, giving it a piece of unbuttered toast as a thank you before it flew off.

"That's a big package, Arden. Who's it from? Mary asked, being her usual nosey self.

Arden didn't even have to open the letter to know it was from Grandpa Albus and Minnie, "My godmother and a very important family friend," she easily answered, opening the card and reading it.

_Dearest Arden,_

_We wish you a very happy twelfth birthday. We understand that it might be a bit awkward for you to visit us in our offices and return with a present, thus we are sending them to you via owl post this year. We do hope that you will visit us for a spot of tea this afternoon to celebrate._

_Yours always,_

_Minnie and Grandpa_

Arden smiled, and promptly opened the package, revealing two separately wrapped gifts; one wrapped in dark purple paper finished off with a silver bow, another wrapped in red and orange paper finished off with a yellow bow. Arden opened the latter first, revealing a stack of four old, worn books; two novels, one on advanced transfiguration, and the final was about very ancient forms of magic and how they still existed in modern times. Immediately, Arden knew that was from her Grandpa Albus; he only gave her books, not that she was complaining. These were very old and very precious books that he put a lot of thought into which she would most enjoy.

Arden opened the purple present next, wondering what Minnie could have gotten her this time. She was not disappointed. It was a moleskin pouch, which could store a large number of items but could only be accessed by the owner. They were very rare, and valuable. Arden reached into the pouch, just to see if anything was inside, and Arden pulled out a small vial of what looked to be silvery gas. 

“Oh, Merlin! Is that what I think it is?” Sen gasped from across the table.

Arden’s eyes grew to the size of dinner plates. She didn’t! She quickly looked to the Professor’s table, where Minnie caught her eye, gave a small wink, and returned to her conversation with Flitwick.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Arden, nervously, knocked on the doors to Grandpa Albus' office. Classes had concluded for the day, and she assumed that she'd have tea with Grandpa Albus and Minnie then. Mercutio seemed to know where she was going, as he met her outside History of Magic, her final class for the day, and followed her to Grandpa Albus' office.

"Come in," Arden heard called from inside the office. She pushed open the heavy doors and walked into the familiar office. As she suspected, Grandpa Albus was standing near his pensive with Minnie. 

Minerva strode over to her goddaughter and wrapped her up in a hug, “Happy Birthday, love.” She pulled back, “Do you have any suspicions as to what was in the moleskin pouch?”

Arden guessed, “One of your memories of mum and dad?”

Minnie smiled, “You’re too intuitive sometimes.”

“I learned from the best,” she retorted. She looked to Albus, then back at Minnie, “Can I?”

Minnie nodded, “We’ll have tea after, come on.”

Arden walked over, her hands shaking. She was going to get to see her parents while they were alive, hear their voices. She knew Minnie or Grandpa Albus would be going with her, to make sure she could get out of the pensive safely. But, it was still scary. 

She opened the vial, and poured the memory into the pensive. Minnie grasped her hand, bracingly, and they fell into the past…figuratively. 

Arden saw a boy, who looked strangely like her, leaning over a table in Minnie’s classroom. He seemed to be reading an advanced transfiguration book. He had her olive-toned skin, freckles, dark brown hair – though his was straight and it was cut short –, and her nose. The main physical differences between them, other than sex, were his eye shape and physical build. He seemed to be a sixth year, and his robes delegated him to be in Hufflepuff. 

Minnie walked into the scene…well, past Minnie did, “Ms. Steinberg, I’m telling you, that it is utterly impossible to simply disagree with Switch’s properties of transfiguration and decide to find a way around them.”

A girl was trailing behind her. She had long, curly brown, hair. Her body-structure and type seemed to match almost exactly with what Arden’s was starting to morph itself into, but she seemed to be a seventh year. But, the shape of her eyes are what entranced Arden. They were exactly her’s…save for the bright blue color. Her robes delegated her to be in Ravenclaw. She seemed to be passionate about the discussion she was in with Minnie, “But, Professor, that’s what they want you to think! If I could find a way to summon food that doesn’t exist, I’d never need to leave my house to go shopping! I could literally be a stay at home-do-nothing for life! Who needs a career when you’ve effectively ended world hunger?” she figuratively asked. 

Past-Minnie dragged her hand down her face in frustration, “Ms. Steinberg, you can’t just summon what doesn’t exist. The material has to come from somewhere. You’re talking about creating matter from nothing, which simply can’t be done on a physical level.”

“But if I really want to…”

“No, Ms. Steinberg.”

“But, isn’t magic in and of itself something?”

Past-Minnie and the boy’s eyes immediately fixed on her. Past-Minnie asked suspiciously, “What do you mean…”

The girl grinned, knowing she had them, “What is ‘magic’ really? It’s like energy, right? Food is also energy, albeit a more solid form filled with potential energy that our bodies convert to energy. If we could somehow transfigure magic itself into food…”

Past-Minnie’s jaw was to the floor, “Do you really think that could work?”

The boy finally pitched in, “I don’t see why not. The logic makes sense, on paper. It would take some serious skill to get that to work, though.”

The girl smirked, hers matching Arden’s exactly, “Luckily, I’ve got you for that, don’t I?”

Minnie put her hand on Arden’s shoulder, and they were pulled out of the memory. 

Arden embraced Minnie in a hug before their feet touched the ground. She was crying into her robes.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

"Happy birthday to you~" Lee and the twins sang the traditional tune to a slow funeral march, making Arden giggle uncontrollably. She made her wish and blew out the candle on her strawberry cupcake with cream-cheese icing.

After the cupcakes were consumed, Arden opened Lee's present; books, both of the Muggle and Wizarding variety. He got her the complete collection of the Chronicles of Narnia and a collection of plays written for the Wizarding world.

"Wow, these are brilliant! Thanks, Lee!" Arden sincerely thanked the boy, making him blush.

"Ours next, ours next!" George and Fred chanted, pushing their present towards Arden.

Arden sarcastically commented, "No, boys, I'm going to open Lee's present again," rolling her eyes at their ridiculous behavior. She opened their present and then looked up at the ginger boys with wide eyes, "You didn't!"

Fred grinned, getting up and leaned on his female friend with a grin so wide it reached past his eyes. "Yep, we knew you'd been eyeing them for a while."

"And you use those highlighters far too often," George added, joining his brother, leaning on Arden as well.

They had gotten her a set of color-changing-self-inking quills. She had mentioned in passing one day, while the quartet were studying in a far-off corner in the library, how she wished the Wizarding world didn't look so down on Muggle objects, like highlighters, or they should have some form of an equivalent. How had they remembered?

"And it was all Fred's idea!" George smiled, shoving his brother playfully on the shoulder.

"Really?" Arden was impressed. Fred's skin flushed to match his hair, which made the birthday girl giggle, "Thanks for the thoughtful gift, Freddie." She hugged him around the middle.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

As Arden packed up her trunk, ready for the summer holidays, she reflected on her first year at Hogwarts. She had found three of the best friends she could ever ask for, a fascination of Transfiguration, a new hobby, and a new way to feel about someone. She still had no clue about her feelings for Fred. Out of her boys, he was definitely her best friend, but she got a strange feeling whenever she was around him; like a billion tiny broomsticks were flying around in her head and belly, but they were warm. She was confused, but had a guess as to where these emotions emerged from, if her slowly growing chest and hips had anything to say about it.

Arden mentally sighed in exasperation; perhaps she'd figure it out next year, or even the year after that?

Regardless of her confounding feelings for Fred, whatever they may be, she was rather proud of herself and the grades that she had earned. Arden's birthday wish had come true, she passed all of her finals with near perfect, if not perfect, scores and she was currently top in her year. Minerva, needless to say, was ecstatic and promised Arden a reward when they got home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ALSO [FOLLOW ME ON TUMBLR!](https://nerdykrats.tumblr.com/)  
> Send me requests, or whatever! Give me a follow if you so choose, and I promise I'll follow back! I post updates on the fic's update status sometimes.
> 
> ALSO ALSO, CHECK OUT MY FRIEND CICIWEEZIL BECAUSE THEIR STORIES ARE AWESOMESAUCE AND THEY ARE SUPERMEGAFOXYAWESOMEHOT! [THEY ARE MY BETA AND I LOVE THEM!](https://archiveofourown.org/users/CiciWeezil/pseuds/CiciWeezil)


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I DO NOT OWN HARRY POTTER OR ANY OF ITS CHARACTERS! I ONLY OWN MY OCS!
> 
> I'M SO HAPPY YOU ALL ARE ENJOYING THIS! I'M HAVING SO MUCH FUN WRITING THIS!!!

Arden was furiously scribbling away with one of her favorite swan-feather quills, a book on the history and properties of using aconite in various potions laying open in front of her. She was sitting at the kitchen table in the apartment while Minnie was downstairs picking up their supper, pizza. Minnie would never admit it, but she did enjoy Muggle pizza. It was her guilty pleasure. She and Arden usually ordered pineapple and spinach on a thin crust pizza. 

McGonagall opened the door, the flat completely silent except for the frantic scratching of a quill against parchment. Knowing that Arden was hard at work, she walked quietly into the kitchen, setting the hot cardboard box on the counter by the sink. She walked behind her goddaughter and glanced down at the parchment. It seemed that Arden had nearly completed her summer potions assignment, having written nearly four feet already. She decided that supper could wait until Arden finished. 

Almost fifteen minutes had passed before Arden, victoriously, set her quill down next to her parchment and declared, "Finished!” The twelve-year-old beamed up at her godmother, "Minnie, would you please read over my essay for Professor Snape?" giving the Transfiguration Professor her sweetest puppy-dog eyes.

The older witch shook her head as she pulled out two plates and placed one slice of pizza on each, "Sorry, dear, it wouldn't be fair of me to do that."

Arden pouted, taking her plate from Minerva, "Why not?"

"Because I work with Severus," she replied, sitting across from her goddaughter and taking a bite of the greasy Muggle food.

Arden frowned, "What difference does that make?" Mercutio, sensing his mistress' distress, jumped on her lap and rubbed his head against her tummy, indicating to her that he wanted her to pet him and calm down. Arden, unconsciously, reached down and scratched the cat's neck, causing him to purr loudly.

"Mercutio, no cats at the table," Minerva ordered the cat, who hissed but submitted to the woman's command. "Arden, I'm not going to read it, and that's that. Besides, I'm sure that you did fine. Do you have anything else to do?"

Arden shook her head, "No, Professor Snape's essay was the last of my summer work."

Minerva smiled, she had raised a responsible goddaughter, "Good," Minerva McGonagall was nervous, she took a deep breath, "Now, I'd like to discuss something of great importance with you." She looked into Arden's eyes and nodded down at the young witch's steadily growing chest, looking down at it and back to her face repeatedly, hoping that she would get the message.

Arden's face contorted in confusion, what could Minnie want to talk with her about? She caught where her godmother's gaze was directed and followed it…"Oh, um…Yeah…about that…" she stuttered.

"Arden, when two people care for each other very much-"

"Nope! No, we're not talking about this!"

Arden stood up to leave the table, but Minerva whipped out her wand, _"Incarcerous"_ ropes came out of, seemingly, nowhere and wrapped around Arden's wrists and torso, effectively tying her to the chair.

The girl struggled, "Let me go, Minnie!" When she saw that her godmother wasn't going to let her go, she decided it was time for desperate measures, "Mercutio, help me!"

The tom cat tried to get on his mistress' lap and scratch her free, but, "Mercutio, leave us," Minerva ordered the feline. He hissed in discontent, but he abided to her wishes.

The elder witch returned her attention to her struggling goddaughter, "Arden, we need to discuss this."

"No, we don't! I already know everything!" she argued.

"Really?" Minerva said in an almost condescending tone, "Elaborate."

Arden then began to explain the process, how everything worked in a very dry, anatomical, scientific manner, how the bodies changed over time (both male and female), and the dangers of STD's and STI's. After her lecture concluded, Minerva was left standing with her mouth agape. "Minnie, are you ok?" Arden asked from her place, still tied to the chair.

Minerva shook her head to clear it, "How do you know all of that?"

Arden shrugged, simply replying with, "Reading."  
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

"I don't want to be here…"

"Arden, it's necessary."

"I don't care, Minnie, I don't want to do this. Can't it wait?"

"No," Minerva answered bluntly.

Arden glowered at the Muggle women bustling in the store that Minerva had brought her to…to…to get bras. Arden shuddered, she'd heard stories about how painful and annoying bras could be and she wanted none of it.

A tan, curvy, brunette sporting a pony-tail practically skipped up to the godmother and goddaughter duo, "Hello, welcome to Girls' Closet! My name is Victoria, do you ladies need help with anything today?" She flashed the two a bleach-white smile, showing off her teeth that were too straight to exist. Arden wondered if all Muggles who worked in any form of customer service were like the ones she had encountered.

Minerva seemed to brush off the overly peppy nature of the girl in front of them, but Arden knew her godmother well enough to know that she was inwardly grimacing and just trying to hold her temper back. "Yes, she," Minerva pushed Arden forward just a tad, "Is going through…changes…"

Victoria seemed to get even peppier, if possible, "Of course!" She put her hand on Arden's shoulder, "Right this way!"

Two hours later, Arden and Minerva were glad to be rid of that store. Arden was still growing, but Minerva assured her that they could use an expanding charm if the bras got too small before winter break.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

After an arduous several weeks of having nothing to do, it was time to make a trip to Diagon Alley. Minerva brought Arden's book list from Hogwarts and they had planned a trip to the magical street two weeks before Arden had to go back to Hogwarts. Minerva had decided to transfigure into her animagus form and escort Arden around that way; on the off chance that someone from Hogwarts would see the two together.

Several hours into shopping, Arden was carrying her purse, with the undetectable extension charm, full of potions ingredients, and walking around Flourish and Blotts, a stack of books in her arms, examining the shelves for more reading material. Minerva sat dutifully by her side, watching her goddaughter with a careful eye. They had earlier agreed that Arden could purchase, at most, five new books to read, only one could be Dark Magic related. She and Grandpa Albus were still wary of her interest in the dark arts, and, while they allowed her to delve into the dark ways through reading, they never allowed her to practice, for obvious reasons. Arden had no qualms with their concerns, as she could see reason behind them, but she was tired of constantly reassuring her two primary guardians that she would not act on anything contained in the books she read.

Finally, with an extra five books on top of the already eight book high stack, Arden was ready to leave. She paid two galleons, nine sickles, and four knuts for her books. Minerva waited by the door for her goddaughter to let her out first. Arden insisted on carrying the books by hand, not in her purse, because she didn't want to accidentally drop one as she was pushing them into the purse and potentially dent, stain, or rip the covering. So, she was walking out of a very busy store with thirteen books, in two bags, on her arms. She pushed the door open with her foot, and started walking out, Minerva tailing her. About two steps out the door, Arden suddenly found herself on the ground, her books spilled around her.

"Oh, Merlin, I am so sorry! Here, let me help," the thing she walked into said in a rush, seemingly embarrassed.

"No, no, I'm sorry," Arden replied, gathering her books, not looking at the person she collided with. A hand was placed in her line of vision, and Arden allowed it to pull her to her feet. She looked at the boy she ran into, "Sorry about that…I'm a bit clumsy…" she brushed a dark chocolate curl behind her ear with her free arm, the other laden with two bags of her gathered books.

"It's alright, I really should have been watching where I was going anyway. I'm glad that your cat is alright," the boy said, his attention flickering to Minerva, who was standing behind Arden, and back to meet Arden's amber gaze. A moment of awkward silence fell between the two, before the boy said, "Cedric Diggory."

"What?"

"That's my name, Cedric Diggory. I think we had a couple classes together. You're in Ravenclaw right?"

"Oh, yeah…I think I saw you in my Defense and Astronomy classes, but we've never been properly introduced," Arden held out her free hand, "Arden Greyson, pleasure to meet you, Cedric."

He shook her hand, his grey eyes smiling, "The pleasure is all mine, Arden."

"Ced, there you are!" A tall man, hair the same color as Cedric's ran over to the two, "I've been looking for you! Come on, we need to finish getting your things, I have a meeting in three hours."

Cedric ran a hand through his light brunette locks, slightly vexed, "Dad, I'm in the middle of a conversation…"

Mr. Diggory took a quick glance at Arden, but his gaze landed on the cat behind her. He seemed to recognize who the cat really was and smirked, knowing what was going on. His expression returned to one of being in a rush, "Ced, we really need to get a move on. You can talk to your little friend later, I'm sure she has an owl."

Cedric leered slightly at his father, but dutifully followed, "Alright, I'll see you around, Arden."

"Bye," Arden stated, anxious to get to the part of the trip to Diagon Alley that Minerva had told her to save for last; broom shopping.

The twelve-year-old practically ran to Quality Quidditch Supplies, itching to get her hands on her very first broomstick and try out for the Ravenclaw Quidditch team. She had decided to play Chaser. She was a brilliant flier and might have had the build of a seeker in the beginning of her first year, but puberty seemed keen on ruining that for her. She still had a small build, much to her dismay, but she was steadily gaining curves, which weren't ideal for lessened air resistance and lots of speed, characteristics needed in a good seeker.

Arden looked around the store, her eyes lingering on the broom section of the shop. She examined each broom intently and eventually decided on a Cleansweep Seven.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

"Are you absolutely sure you have everything?"

"I'm sure, Minnie," Arden laughed, standing in front of their fireplace, ready to floo to The Burrow, "I'm only going to be there for two weeks, then I'll be back at school."

"Which is precisely why I want you to be absolutely sure you have everything," the elder witch chided, looking at her goddaughter's trunk with a critical eye. "Do you have all of your clothes?"

"Check," Arden almost mocked her godmother's overly cautious need to make sure Arden had an army of supplies, of all sorts, with her at all times.

"Toiletries?"

"Check."

"Mercutio's toys, food, crate, and litter-box?"

"Check, check, check, and check. Minnie, I'm sure I have everything. Can I go now? I promised the twins I'd be there before lunch!" Arden whined, bouncing on her heels in annoyance.

Minerva gave her the mom look, "Do you have Mercutio?"

Arden nodded, "Of course I do! He's right…" Arden turned to open his cage, only to find that her tom-cat was nowhere to be seen. "What?" She turned around to look at Minnie, only to see her godmother holding the chocolate tortoiseshell on his back, like a baby. "Minnie~" Arden griped in frustration, taking her cat from the woman and placing him in his cage. After the cage was locked, she returned her attention to the cat-stealer, "Can I go now?"

The transfiguration professor laughed, "Yes, Arden, you can leave," she hugged the younger girl, "I'll see you at school. Be good, love."

Arden hugged her back before locking eyes with the woman, a glimmer of mischief flashed in her amber orbs, as she said, "No promises." With a wave of her wand, Minnie transported Arden's things to The Burrow. Arden took a fist-full of floo powder before stepping into the inactive fireplace. She threw the green dust to the ground and enunciated, "The Burrow!"

Stepping out of the fireplace was always the worst part of floo travel; always dizzy, disoriented, and covered head to toe in soot. But, those negativities were all but forgotten when Arden was sandwiched between two of her best friends after she stepped out of their fireplace.

"Alright, boys?" Arden giggled as they picked her up, Fred picked her up under her arms and George carried her feet, and carried her to the table.

"You're nearly late!" George complained as they set her down between their usual spots at the dinner table.

Arden sassily replied, "A witch is never late, nor is she early. She arrives precisely when she means to."

The twins were stunned for a moment, giving someone just enough time to comment, "Got yourselves a sassy one there, boys. Better be careful or you'll end up like me." A thin balding man, what hair he had left was the same shade of red as the twins, Percy, Charlie, Ron, and, from what Arden expected, the whole family, walked into the room. "Sorry, allow me to introduce myself. I'm Arthur Weasley, Fred and George's dad. You must be Arden," he held out his hand, which Arden shook.

"You guessed correctly, pleasure to meet you Mr. Weasley," Arden smiled.

"The pleasure is all mine. Now, from what the boys tell me, you are very familiar with the Muggle World?"

Arden nodded, "Yes I am, and they tell me that you have a fascination for Muggle innovations?"

Mr. Weasley was obviously trying to hold back his enthusiasm, "Well it is fascinating how they get on without magic."

Arden laughed, "It's alright, Mr. Weasley, I'm in Ravenclaw. I live around people who enthuse about ovomancy and stay up all night cracking eggs to predict the weather patterns! Don't hold back, ask me anything," she invited him.

"As if you need encouraging, Arthur," a familiar voice butted into their conversation, Mrs. Weasley sauntered into the kitchen, turning the kettle on and starting lunch. "Pleasure to see you again, Arden, dear."

"Likewise, Mrs. Weasley."

Fred, who had been quiet up until this point, asked "Mum, where's ickle Ronniekins?"

George nodded, "Yeah, think he'd want to see his dream girl again," he nudged Arden's shoulder with his.

Arden was flabbergasted, "Dream girl?"

Mrs. Weasley smiled as she stirred whatever she was cooking in the large pot, "Oh, Ronnie couldn't stop talking about you after we left Kings Cross last year! When the boys came back for Christmas break, all he could ask them about was you and how you were doing. It was absolutely adorable!

Arden's face was red enough to rival the Weasley family's hair by the end of Mrs. Weasley's explanation. "So where is he, mum?" Fred asked once again

"I think upstairs in his room, or he might be out back with Ginny," she simply answered, "But, you might as well wait for lunch to be finished. He'll come running when he gets hungry."

The twins seemed to accept that and pulled Arden into a conversation about their summer homework, which they had yet to complete. They begged her for help, which she couldn't deny them, but she refused to let them read her work, as they might just copy it. The conversation then changed topics to gushing about their new brooms. Apparently, they had all gotten Cleansweep Sevens, which the twins had already tried out, but Arden hadn't because she had no place to fly it without being seen. Living in Muggle London was both a blessing and a curse when you were a member of the Magical Community.

Around a half hour later, Mrs. Weasley announced that lunch was ready, and the two youngest members of the Weasley household bounded into the room. Arden recognized Ron, but he was acting very differently to how he did when she last saw him one year ago. He was very quiet, withheld, and acted much more self-conscious. The twins took great joy in exploiting their brother's embarrassment, much to the enjoyment of their sister, Ginny. Arden took note that Ginny seemed a bit cynical, but also very strong and had sympathy for her brother. She knew when enough was enough with their teasing and got them to stop by giving them a look that Arden only saw Mrs. Weasley pull off successfully. She took note not to annoy her too badly, because she was staying in Ginny's room while she was at The Burrow. While everyone ate, Arden learned that Charlie had, indeed, gone to Romania to study dragons, much to the dismay of his mother. She had wanted him to be happy, of course, but she was hoping that he would stay a little closer to home, and choose a less-dangerous career.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

After two weeks of playing mock Quidditch matches, talking about the Muggle World with Mr. Weasley, pulling pranks on Percy, helping the twins with their homework, and just spending time with the twins, it was finally time to return to Hogwarts.

The feast was normal, but they had another new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor. Apparently it was almost as if the position was cursed, as no one had lasted more than a year in the position since around 1956, when Dumbledore refused to give the position to Voldemort. 

Two weeks into term would find Arden stood outside on the Quidditch pitch with her Cleansweep Seven in hand, waiting for orders from the Captain of the Ravenclaw Quidditch team to commence tryouts.

"Alright you lot," the captain said, walking to stand in front of the five potential chasers, "I want you to fly three laps around the field, then we'll do a bit of practice. On my mark, three, two, one, go!"

Arden mounted her broom and took off, leaning close to the handle for minimum air resistance. The laps seemed to take a longer amount of time than they really did, the competition to be in front was fierce, but Arden managed to do all right; she came in second, but she was happy with her performance.

Next section of the tryouts was being able to perform passes and get the quaffle past the keeper. Out of fifteen throws, Arden managed to get fourteen of them past the keeper. She simply watched how he played with the other people trying out, and was able to read his movements pretty well.

"Great job, everyone!" The captain said to the group, "We'll post the results of the tryouts tomorrow on the bulletin board in the common room. Be sure to check it out!"

 

The next day couldn’t come soon enough. Arden fought her way through everyone to see the board. She forced herself to look and, sure enough, she had gotten it. Arden was an official chaser on the Ravenclaw Quidditch team! She noted that Seo had made seeker and looked over at her Asian roommate, standing next to her, "Well, Seo?"

Seo met her roommate's eyes with a smug, confident expression on her pretty face, "I knew that I'd get it. All the other people trying out couldn't make one lap around the field. They're lucky that I tried out."

Arden's face hardened, "Seo, don't say that, I'm sure that everyone tried their best."

"Well their best wasn't good enough, now was it?"

Arden knew that she couldn’t change her roommate’s attitude problem. She hid her anger well by simply deciding to walk out of the common room and see what the twins were up to. 

 

 

That was the best decision she could've made, the twins were with Lee and planning to prank a rather rude Hufflepuff. She, apparently, got angry with them for using her preferred school owl to send a letter to Ginny. She insulted dear Ginevra, and she had never even met the dear girl.

"Any ideas, Arden?" Lee inquired. He knew that Arden's mental capabilities allowed her to think outside the box rather easily, and get around rules like it was nobody's business.

Arden thought, what would be the cleanest prank to pull…"Vanishing" her things with the twins' Muggle Magic Set would be good, but it was to conspicuous. They had already done the hair-color-changing prank too many times for it to be useful…They didn't have enough magical knowledge to pull off some that Arden came up with…The Hufflepuff insulted Ginny…That was it!

Arden had found an old charm in one of her new books that caused the victim to be forced to speak in a certain way for twenty-four hours. What way the victim spoke was up to the caster. The quartet deliberated over it for a while, eventually choosing Shakespearean Sonnets. Arden, being sat closest to the Hufflepuff table, was the one to cast it the next morning. They waited to see if it worked, it did. The girl confessed her undying love to a Slytherin boy in the elaborate and old-timey words of William Shakespeare. She got turned down, and ran out of the Hall, her face as red as a strawberry.

The quartet calmly walked out of the Great Hall before bursting out into gut-wrenching laughter at the foot of the main staircase.

"Did you see her face?" Arden was able to say before falling to the ground in a fit of uncontrollable giggles.

Fred was leaning on the handrail of the stairs, "Priceless!"

George calmed down enough to say, "Alright, we have to do that again!"

Lee's breathing regulated itself, "To who?"

Fred grinned, "Who cares?"

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

**Several weeks later:**

Arden was staring angrily at one of the numerous bookcases in Hogwarts' rather expansive library. She wanted one of the books off the very top shelf, but she didn't want to risk using a levitating charm because she couldn't see her target very well. She knew how to cast the retrieval charm, but she hadn't practiced it yet, so she wasn't very confident in her ability to retrieve it. The second-year had asked Madam Pince, but the unpleasant woman refused to aid Arden on her quest. Grandpa Albus had suggested that Arden read a book on Human Transfiguration, rather than a certain book on Dark Magic that he had hidden away in his personal library.

"Need some help?" Arden glanced behind herself and locked eyes with a familiar grey gaze.

Arden pointed at Cedric, "Greetings, Cedric. You're a tall person, right?"

Cedric walked up to Arden, placing his hand on her head and, keeping it steady, moved it straight across to himself, she hit just below his collar bone. "Yeah, guess I am. That or you're just short," he remarked, amused at the Ravenclaw girl's height deficiency.

Arden glowered, "I'm not short! I'm just vertically challenged!"

The Hufflepuff laughed, "What book do you need?"

"Transfiguring the Human Form," the girl informed him.

He looked around, making sure Madam Pince was out of sight range, before taking one of the chairs from a nearby table and using it as a step-stool to gain access to the top shelf. He handed the book down to Arden and put the chair back where it belonged.

"Here you are, my lady," Cedric put on a posh accent and mock-bowed to Arden.

She giggled, "Why thank you, good sir," she mimicked his accent and curtsied.

"So, why do you need that book? Isn't it too advanced for a second year?"

Arden shifted her weight uncomfortably, "I just want to read it…"

Cedric's face contorted in confusion, "Can you understand anything in it?"

The girl shrugged, "More or less, yeah."

His jaw dropped to the floor, "Really?" She nodded in response, "That's fantastic!"

She shook her head, "Not really."

"Yeah it is! You're in second year and that book has to be at least fifth or sixth year level! How can you understand it?"

She shrugged, "Sort of comes naturally to me, I guess."

Cedric's face fell into a neutral expression, "Hey, can I ask you something?"

"Sure, what is it?"

"Could you…I don't know…Maybe…tutor me sometime? My dad always expects the highest of me, and transfiguration is difficult…"

Arden smiled, "Of course, I'd love to help!"

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

The first Quidditch match of the year finally arrived; Hufflepuff VS Ravenclaw. Arden's boys were rooting for her, the twins from the stands and Lee from the Commentator Booth. Cedric, on the other hand, was playing seeker for Hufflepuff.

Arden was sitting in the changing room, taking calming, deep breaths. She couldn't afford to get nervous, not today. It wasn't like in practice; she had to be completely focused. Every point counted and every second needed to be used efficiently.

The captain snapped her out of her thoughts, placing a hand on her shoulder, "Are you ready?" Arden nodded, "Let's go."

Walking out onto the familiar Quidditch pitch seemed so surreal now that it wasn't for practice. The deafening roar of the entire school cheering for two opposing teams combined with the pressure of wanting to make Minnie and everyone in Ravenclaw proud was almost suffocating. Arden swallowed a stone in her throat, she had never been this nervous in her life. But, then again, she had never been expected to perform in front of an entire school before.

They stood in the middle of the pitch, facing the other team. Cedric smiled and waved at Arden, who waved back but kept her composure. Seo shot Arden a glare upon seeing Cedric Diggory, someone whom she had spoken highly of and expressed interest in, greet the shorter witch and not her.

The captains shook hands and Madam Hooch, who was acting as the referee, walked between them, "Mount your brooms, please."

Arden rushed onto her Cleansweep Seven, carefully eyeing the other team as they straddled their brooms.

Madam Hooch blew her silver whistle and everyone shot into the sky. Fourteen students and Madam Hooch were up in the air and the game began.

As soon as Madam Hooch released the Quaffle, one of the Hufflepuff chasers dove to take it. Ravenclaw was playing on a more defensive strategy for the beginning of each game, according to their captain. 'Observe, Analyze, and Attack', the captain's words rang loudly in Arden's ears as she observed the flying patterns between the chasers. Arden saw several openings and went to exploit them.

She stole the Quaffle mid-pass, narrowly dodged the Bludger, and scored the first 10 points of the game!

"And a brilliant steal by Ravenclaw Chaser, Arden Greyson! A wonderfully bright girl, and excellent chaser, rather attractive too-" Arden knew that Lee was kidding, but Minnie apparently didn't.

"JORDAN!"

"Sorry, professor; just trying to make the commentary more entertaining."

Arden giggled, and blocked an attempt at an interception by a Hufflepuff chaser.

"Nice block by Miss Greyson, she's tearing up the sky!"

Arden decided to glance at how Seo was doing, since her teammates could handle the scoring for a bit. Seo was…showing off? What the bloody hell did she think she was doing? Was she trying to impress Cedric? This was a Quidditch match, not a mating opportunity! Arden disregarded it; hopefully they could score some more points and get ahead before Cedric spotted the snitch.

Two hours later and they were matched 100-30, in favor of Ravenclaw. Arden had scored forty of their points, a feat that she was rather proud of. If they could get another 9 goals with the Quaffle, it wouldn't matter if Hufflepuff got the snitch.

Arden was catching up to one of the opposing chasers, in possession of the Quaffle, intent on scoring on Ravenclaw.

"And Diggory seems to have spotted the snitch!" Lee called, "He's going into a dive, Kim seems to not care…Kim, get your head in the game!"

It was over before the Quaffle was even thrown, Cedric caught the snitch.

Arden, extremely disappointed, slowly glided down and landed on the pitch. As was customary, the losing team shook hands with all members of the winning team. Cedric hung back and hugged Arden.

"Sorry that you had to play with her," he apologized, knowing that Seo’s showing off was purely the reason that they lost. She seemed much more intent on providing a show than actually playing the game, "If I was captain, I wouldn't tolerate that. She'd be off the team in a heartbeat."

Arden gave him a sad smile, "Maybe you will be one day. You were brilliant."

"I was brilliant? Me? All I did was spot and catch one ball. Who scored forty points on us in her first game? You're an amazing Chaser, my friend!" He clapped her on the back.

Arden shoved his arm off playfully, "Yeah, because being seeker is so easy!" she commented sarcastically.

"Arden, come on, team meeting!" the Ravenclaw Quidditch captain called from across the field.

"Coming!" the brunette faced Cedric, "Talk to you later. We still on for next week in the library?"

The boy nodded, "Yeah. See you then!"

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

"Fred, did you see Arden at the pitch today?" George asked from his bed. They had long since left dinner and completed their homework. Fred was in the middle of getting ready for bed, George had done so already and Lee was in their bathroom.

"Yeah, I did, George. I was at the game with you, remember?" Fred snarkily replied, taking off his shirt and throwing it into the laundry hamper that he and George shared.

George scoffed, "Smart arse. No, I meant after the game. She was getting rather close with a certain Hufflepuff seeker. They hugged and everything."

Fred, confusedly, asked, "So? She hugs us all the time."

George shook his head, "Not so much me and Lee as she does you."

"What's your point?" Fred walked to his brother's bed and stood before him, arms crossed over his bare chest.

George sat up, "My point is, if you like this girl like I think you do," he poked Fred in the chest, "Do something about it soon."

Fred brushed his brother's hand away with his own, scoffing, "I don't like her like that, George."

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Fred and George met up with Arden the Friday before the next Quidditch match, which was Ravenclaw VS Gryffindor. They sat her down by one of the windowsills on the sixth floor and looked at each other, seemingly nervous about something.

Arden, on the other hand, was very calm, but the twins being nervous made her nervous, "Is everything all right; George, Fred?" she inquired, knowing that neither of them could lie to her.

Fred took Arden's right hand in his, "Arden, we want to apologize for something…"

George took her left hand, "You might not know this yet but…"

The two gingers in front of her looked at each other, then back at her, to each other, and back at her once more before quickly releasing her hands and simultaneously exclaiming, "We're going to kick your arse tomorrow in the game!"

Arden stood up, her mouth agape in both astonishment and slight anger, "Oh, if you think that Gryffindor is going to win tomorrow, you're sorely mistaken!"

George smirked, "With little miss show-off as your seeker, I'd like to see you try!"

Fred laughed, "What's she going to do; court the snitch into her hands?"

Arden blushed, knowing they were probably right.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Arden shot through the sky, attempting to get the Quaffle before it got too close to their keeper. She succeeded and was weaving around the pitch, trying to make it to the opposite set of hoops.

"Arden, over here!" One of her teammates called, but Arden knew if she tried to pass then that they would be back to square one. The match was tied 50-50, and Arden wanted to push Ravenclaw up just a tad more. She hadn't looked at Seo yet, not wanting to disappoint herself. The girl had been doing decently well in their practices, but as they hadn't had a game since Hufflepuff, they weren't too sure if she would just be showing off again.

The twins had the perfect opportunity to hit the Bludgers at her several times throughout the course of the game, but they couldn't seem to do it. Sad, Arden thought, that the twins couldn't separate their emotions from their competitive performance. But, she supposed, that's how some people were, not that there was anything bad with it. In fact, it probably made them more sensitive and empathetic, instead of harsh and logical, like she was.

Arden snapped herself out of her thoughts and focused on the game. She had made it past the majority of the threats on the Gryffindor team and lined herself up with the hoops. Watching the keeper's movements earlier on had really paid off, she knew just where to throw it. A hard fake left but throw more right, the Quaffle would fly almost directly center while he blocked left. Some Gryffindors lived up to the stereotype, and Oliver Wood was one of them.

"An impressive final goal from Greyson just as Kim catches the snitch! Ravenclaw wins 210-50!" Lee announced.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

The rest of the Quidditch matches throughout the year didn't go very well. Gryffindor won against Hufflepuff (the twins remarking it was their revenge for Arden), Slytherin won against Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Gryffindor, which meant that Slytherin got the Quidditch Cup…again…

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Three spring birthdays came and went so quickly that Arden didn't even notice it was the end of term. Looking over her loot of presents that she had gotten for Hanukkah and her birthday, Arden was surprised that her second year had gone by so quickly. She had gotten a Weasley sweater (midnight blue with a silver A on it), fudge, as well as an invitation to return in the summer from Mrs. Weasley. The twins and Lee had gotten her books, magic bath bombs that made the water change color and play music of your choice, and toys for Mercutio. Minnie got her clothes and sweets, and Grandpa Albus got her books and sweets. She supposed that she was an easy person to buy presents for, which wasn't a bad thing at all.

Their brand new Defense teacher had quit, saying something about trouble back home in Ireland.

As she walked to eat her final meal at Hogwarts until next term, Arden pondered something that had been bugging her for a while. If she had done her math correctly, Harry Potter would be joining the ranks of Hogwarts students next term. It had been ten years since Voldemort was 'vanquished', so that would make that one-year-old baby eleven that year. Would Harry be good, as a majority of the Wizarding population believed him to be? Or would he be the next Dark Lord, like so many of the Death Eaters hoped he would be?

Whatever the case, Arden thought as she reached the doors to the Great Hall, next year was sure to be interesting.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Arden walked around the deserted halls of Hogwarts, attempting to entertain herself while Minnie and Grandpa Albus were in a staff meeting. She had been staying with Minnie at Hogwarts for about one week; it had been three since school ended. The landlord found several rats nests in the walls on the bottom floors, so they evacuated the entirecomplex for fumigation. She'd used the map to find ways out of the castle and into Hogsmeade several times now, and, regardless of the fact that Madame Rosmerta would give her a free butterbeer while she did her summer work in the shop, she'd quickly grown tired of the small town (as she had no money on hand to spend). Madam Pince didn't let her into the library, and Grandpa Albus was almost always busy so she couldn't use his library. Her summer homework had been finished since the beginning of the week; she was losing her mind.

Hours later, McGonagall found her goddaughter laying on the Ravenclaw table in the Great Hall, her legs hooked over the table and her head dangling towards the ground, causing her long hair to pool under her head.

"Arden, what's wrong?" Minerva asked, knowing that her goddaughter got into that position when she couldn't think.

Arden looked at Minerva, her amber eyes dull and her face expressionless, "Bored."

The older witch shook her head, tsking her tongue as she said, "Well, get up. We're leaving."

Arden swung herself right-side up, excited, "No more Hogwarts? We're going home?"

"Not exactly, you know how professors have to go talk to Muggleborns and explain what Hogwarts is and such?" Arden nodded, seeing where this conversation was going.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Minerva let go of Arden's hand after apparating into an alleyway, away from Muggle eyes. She looked down at her goddaughter, who was gasping for air and trying not to puke. She hated apparating.

"You alright, dear?" Minnie asked in concern, bending down to look Arden in the eyes and make sure she wasn't splinched.

Arden nodded, "Yeah, think so." She picked up the bag that she dropped, full of books to read while she waited. Minerva said that they might be there for a while, and let her into Grandpa Albus' room to get something to read while she waited, lending her the undetectable extension charmed purse. Arden chose several books, one of them being Hogwarts: A History, just on the long shot that there was something that she missed in her first numerous read-throughs.

The two witches walked out of the alleyway and down the street, each dressed in Muggle clothes so as to not attract attention. McGonagall chose to wear black slacks, a tasteful red blouse, and a gold locket. Her black hair was pulled into its trademark bun, out of her face. Arden was wearing a loose, off the shoulder white t-shirt that said "I'm actually a unicorn" with a pair of acid-wash jeans and a pair of white and blue trainers. Her, now hip-length, curly, dark chocolate locks were left alone.

They finally reached the house. Minerva changed into her animagus form and hopped on a windowsill to check that they were there. She looked at Arden and nodded, running behind a bush to change back. Arden walked to the door and knocked, Minerva running to stand next to her before the door opened.

A tall brunet man opened the door, "Can I help you?"

Minerva put on her very friendliest smile, "Yes, I am here to speak to the Granger family? It's concerning Hermione."

The man looked concerned, glanced backwards at, presumably, his wife or daughter, and replied, "Is she in trouble? Is this about her…abilities?" he asked in a hushed tone.

The elder witch nodded, "May we come in?"

The man said, "Yes, please do!" and hurried the two witches inside.

A young girl with wild brown hair ran up to her father, "Dad, who are they?"

The man placed his hand on her shoulder, "They're here about your special talents, Hermione. They know what's going on."

Hermione looked up at the two strangers with wide brown eyes, "You really know?" Minerva nodded, causing Hermione to smile, "Thank god, I was worried something was wrong with me." The girl walked back into the sitting room to join her parents.

Minerva held Arden back from following them and whispered, "Arden, why don't you talk to Hermione. I'll talk with her parents and get them used to the idea." Arden nodded and followed Minerva into the sitting room, where they saw Mr. Granger talking to Mrs. Granger in hushed voices. They stopped when they saw the two witches walk in.

Mrs. Granger stood up and met them halfway, "You can explain what's going on with Hermione?"

Minerva affirmed, "Yes, but I would like Arden," she gestured to the thirteen year-old, "to explain it to Hermione ad I'll explain it to you. I feel that would be the most efficient route. I can answer any of your questions, and Arden can answer Hermione's."

The family looked back and forth between one another and the two women, but Hermione walked over to Arden, "Can we talk in my room?"

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

"I'm a witch? That can't be! Witches are fake, fairy tales, like ghosts and dragons!" Hermione, flustered, exclaimed, pacing in front of Arden, who was sat on her bed.

Arden smiled, "Oh, they're real too. As are Mermaids, Centaurs, Phoenixes-"

Hermione put her hands over her ears, "No, it can't be!"

Arden shook her head, "It is, it's very real. You're part of our world, one of us."

Hermione stopped pacing and looked Arden straight in the eyes, "Prove it," she demanded.

Arden took her purse off of her shoulder, "See this purse? It has an undetectable extension charm on it. That means that I can store anything of any size and any quantity in here and it will never get full." The purse itself was rather small, barely bigger than an 8.5''/11'' sheet of parchment. Arden pulled eight, rather large, books out of it, causing Hermione's eyes to widen and her jaw to drop.

"That can't be!" she ran over and opened the purse, it looked completely normal. She backed up and pulled her set of twelve encyclopedias off the bookshelf, "Can I try with these?"

"Of course," Arden laughed, hopping off the bed and bringing her purse to the curious girl.

After all twelve books were inside the purse, Hermione opened it and saw just what she had before, the purse looked completely normal and empty. "Where did my books go?" she asked, concerned.

Arden reached into the purse up to her shoulder and started, one by one, pulling the books out. Hermione was astounded and amazed. “Did you charm this purse?”

Arden shook her head, “No, my godmother said that my mum charmed it a long time ago.”

“Oh,” Hermione mused, “So, magic can last for long periods of time?”

“Yeah, even after death. This hat at school was spelled to life centuries ago!” Arden enthusiastically commented.

After informing Hermione about Hogwarts, Hermione asked, “So, your mum is out there telling my parents about this?”

Arden shook her head and, feeling that she had no choice but to tell the girl, said “No, that’s my godmother. She’s the Transfiguration professor and Deputy Head Mistress.”

Hermione nodded, “She seems nice.”

Arden smiled, “She’s the best. Do me a favor, Hermione? Don’t tell anyone that she’s my godmother?”

“Of course, I promise.”

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Minerva and Arden had successfully delivered the letter, and the Grangers agreed to send Hermione to Hogwarts. The two were about to leave when Hermione ran over to Arden, "Wait! Can I ask you something…in private?"

Arden said, "Yeah, sure," and followed the younger girl to a room away from the adults. "Everything alright? I know we dropped a lot on you today," Arden stated, seeing the girl's obvious distress.

Hermione, uncomfortably, shifted her weight from one foot to the other, "Um…I…I'm not very well liked by a lot of people. I was wondering…are people in the Magical World…nicer than non-magic people?"

Arden looked in the direction where Minnie stood with the adults, and back at Hermione. She knew what Hermione meant, “I got bullied a lot too, when I was younger than you and attending Muggle school. So, I feel that I have a good basis to say that the Magical World is much more accepting than the Muggle World. And you know what else?" She reached into her purse and pulled out two books, Hogwarts: A History and a book on the Magical World and its history with the Muggle World. "Here," she handed them to Hermione, "You like reading, right? Give them back to me when you're done. Just, don't let anyone other than your parents see them, yeah?"

Hermione shook her head, "Why are you giving them to me?"

Arden smiled, "We're friends, right?"

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

A few days later, Arden made her way up to the Owlery with a letter in hand for a Mr. Harry James Potter. She was rather excited that he was finally coming to Hogwarts. By no means was she about to freak out about it. No, she was curious as to which house the famous boy would be placed in. Some followers of Voldemort believed that Harry was to be the next Dark wizard and were prepared to switch alliances should he present himself as such, others believed that he was "the chosen one", and then there were those like Arden who didn't care either way. Not to say that Arden wouldn't fight against Harry should he be inherently evil, she would. But, until such a time came, Arden had more important things to worry about; like her feelings for a Mr. Fred Weasley.

Arden called down one of the more reliable Hogwarts Screech owls and tied the letter to its leg. While she watched fly away, she leaned against one of the huge, arches and pondered her growing emotions for the ginger Gryffindor. She knew that she had some sort of emotional attachment beyond that of what she felt for Lee, George, and Cedric. But what sort of feelings did she have for Fred? Fred was her best friend. Fred was the one who came up with all the best prank ideas. Fred was the one who chided Lee whenever he said something stupid to her. Fred was the one who made sure that she didn't work too hard for one of their pranks. Fred was the one who would do anything for his family and his friends. Fred was the one who gave the best hugs in the world. Fred was the one who could make her smile just by seeing him happy. Fred was the one whose laugh could warm up even the coldest of souls. Fred was…Fred, and Fred was wonderful.

Arden groaned and laid her head against the well-worn walls of the Owlery in both frustration and elation. It had taken her two years to realize it, how could she have been so blind? She…she liked Fred Weasley. She had a crush on her best friend.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Arden shifted uncomfortably in her seat in Minnie's office. The woman was working on her lesson plans for next term and Arden was supposed to be helping her work out the scheduling issues, as she was very proficient at organization. She wanted to help her godmother, she really truly did, but she couldn't seem to focus. Her mind was buzzing with a million and one situations for what could happen if she confessed to Fred. She didn't want to be thinking about it, but she couldn't seem to help it. It was as if someone took out all of her sensibilities and replaced them with extremely high dosages of estrogen, oxytocin, and serotonin. All she could think about was him, he made her happy, but they weren't even together.

Minerva seemed to notice that Arden had stopped working and something was wrong. She laid down her quill gently, "All right," she stood up and walked around her desk to sit next to the thirteen-year-old, "What's wrong?"

Arden shook her head, "Nothing".

The professor didn't seem to buy it, "Arden, I've known you for your entire life. I know when you're lying to me. Either you tell me or I'm going to march you right down to Severus' office and get some veritaserum."

Arden bit her lip, not wanting to say anything, but she knew that Minnie was right. She figured, of all people, she'd rather Snape not find out, "Ok, I might have…" she gestured with her hands in a sort of random motion, "Feelings for…someone, and I don't know what to do," she leaned down and covered her face with her hair in utter embarrassment.

McGonagall, however, was staring in shock at her. This was not ok. Arden was still a little three-year-old, right? When did she start feeling things for boys? When did Arden stop being her innocent little baby? She shook her head as if to clear it, she was being ridiculous. Of course Arden was growing up, she knew that; Arden had started puberty last spring. This was only natural.

Minerva cleared her throat, "Well, that was a bit unexpected. Ok, who is it?" Arden muttered something unintelligible, "I'm sorry, who was that?"

Arden lifted her face from her hands, "Fred."

The older woman gave a pitying look, "Oh, dear, come here." She hugged Arden and rubbed her back in soothing circles. She knew, from watching it happen for years on end, that having a crush on a friend was the worst sort of internal conflict and could cause some serious emotional damage. One wrong move and the friendship was out the window.

Arden buried her face in Minerva's cloak, upset because she didn't want to feel things for Fred, it would just complicate things. Arden needed to be in control, and emotions were not in her power to manipulate. "Why do I have to have feelings for Fred, of all people?" she asked her godmother.

The adult sighed, "I don't know, sweetie, but it could be worse."

"How?"

"You could have feelings for a Muggle."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ALSO [FOLLOW ME ON TUMBLR!](https://nerdykrats.tumblr.com/)  
> Send me requests, or whatever! Give me a follow if you so choose, and I promise I'll follow back! I post updates on the fic's update status sometimes.
> 
> ALSO ALSO, CHECK OUT MY FRIEND CICIWEEZIL BECAUSE THEIR STORIES ARE AWESOMESAUCE AND THEY ARE SUPERMEGAFOXYAWESOMEHOT! [THEY ARE MY BETA AND I LOVE THEM!](https://archiveofourown.org/users/CiciWeezil/pseuds/CiciWeezil)


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I DO NOT OWN HARRY POTTER OR ANY OF ITS CHARACTERS! I ONLY OWN MY OCS!
> 
> *happily dancing around* YOU ALL ARE SO AMAZING! I CAN'T EVEN! THANK YOU FOR READING THIS!!!  
> Parts of this chapter were adapted from a tumblr post by maurauders4ever that I now agree needs to be cannon! If you've seen the post, you'll know what I'm taking about. If you don't, well...just enjoy what I wrote!  
> ALSO [FOLLOW ME ON TUMBLR!](https://nerdykrats.tumblr.com/)  
> Send me requests, or whatever! Give me a follow if you so choose, and I promise I'll follow back! I post updates on the fic's update status sometimes.
> 
> ALSO ALSO, CHECK OUT MY FRIEND CICIWEEZIL BECAUSE THEIR STORIES ARE AWESOMESAUCE AND THEY ARE SUPERMEGAFOXYAWESOMEHOT! [THEY ARE MY BETA AND I LOVE THEM!](https://archiveofourown.org/users/CiciWeezil/pseuds/CiciWeezil)  
> Anyway, this has gone on long enough, ON WITH THE CHAPTER! *rides off on a chariot into the sunset*

Arden was laying on the rug next to a pile of books in Dumbledore's office, reading her most recent letter from none other than Mr. George Weasley himself. He and Fred had, apparently, told Ron that he had to fight off a troll, or something of the sort, to get sorted. They wanted her to play along whenever she got to the Burrow, which wouldn't be until the last two weeks of break. George had no idea how lucky he was; Arden hated to admit it, but felt envious of him. He got to spend all day, every day, with his twin brother goofing around, and she was stuck at Hogwarts with nothing to do.

It had been almost three weeks since school let out, yet Arden and Minerva hadn't yet left Hogwarts. One would think that after so long the fumigation would be completed, but it seemed that Muggle Exterminators were even more incompetent than they had first thought. One of the newer exterminators decided that it would be a good idea to light a cigarette inside their flat. Needless to say, it did not end well for him or the building. The fire burned everything. Minerva was assured that Benningham Towers would replace everything. Obviously, some things couldn't be replaced. Until their flat was repaired, which could take up to two months, Arden and Minerva were stuck at Hogwarts.

The brunette was about to write a letter back to the twins when Dumbledore walked in, followed closely by a furious Minerva, "Albus, it's been days and he hasn't written back, something must be wrong," her Godmother griped.

"Professor McGonagall," Grandpa Albus said, subtly reminding her of her position, "Calm down. For the last time, I'm taking care of it. Arden," the elderly wizard caught her watching the exchange, "I have an errand I need you to run for me."

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

"Harry freaking Potter thinks he's so special. Oh look at me, I'm Harry Potter. I like to inconvenience others by not replying to my Hogwarts letter because I'm special. I want a million letters delivered to me at once so that I can swim in my success because I'm Harry Potter. I want everyone at Hogwarts to know that I'm attending because I'm a bloody celebrity," Arden mocked the boy as she sent the thousandth letter through the floo. Apparently, floos couldn't take more than three letters at a time, and Arden had to send well over a thousand to this boy's house. His poor Aunt and Uncle having to deal with all the letters everywhere, poor Muggles indeed.

Arden, after having spent several hours sending letters through the floo, gladly made her way down to Minnie's rooms. She silently prayed that Harry Potter would send his response sooner, rather than later. If she had to see one more letter addressed to Mr. Harry James Potter, she was going to go crazy.

Upon reaching her godmother's chambers, Arden collapsed on her futon, more aggravated than exhausted. She stared up at the ceiling and contemplated multiple aspects of her upcoming year. She would have three extra classes (she had chosen Care of Magical Creatures, Arithmancy, and Ancient Runes), on top of her seven class workload, plus helping the twins plan pranks, add in Quidditch practice and tutoring Cedric, Arden was going to have one heck of a year ahead of her.

While she was zoning out, Mercutio, her ever-dutiful companion, wanted his mistress to get some fresh air. He decided that meowing repeatedly next to her Cleansweep 7 would get her attention. What ended up happening, however was Arden got annoyed with his serenade and ordered him out of the room, she wanted to sleep.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Severus Snape held himself in high regard as a man of solitude. He never looked at any other woman in quite the same way that he looked at Lily Evans (he refused to acknowledge that she ever lost enough brain cells to marry James Potter, much less bear his spawn). On top of this, he never invited anyone over to his home, preferring to use it as an extra potions lab, rather than a place of living. As such, his house was rather void of decorum. So, needless to say, he was rather surprised to find his colleague and her goddaughter, laden with a rather heavy-looking knapsack, stood on his doorstep the morning of July 29th.

Snape sneered, "Minerva, what a surprise…How can I help you?" He glared at Arden, daring her with his gaze to make a sound.

McGonagall pushed her glasses up further on her nose with her middle finger, "Good evening, Severus. May we come in?"

The hook-nosed man leered down at the women, "Of course," he stepped back and gestured them, rather sarcastically, to walk into his abode.

Minerva strode in as if she owned the place. Arden, contrarily, walked as if a bomb would go off if she stepped out of line. She was by no means afraid of Snape; her childhood experiences with him reinforced her trust in the man. She was cautious, not wanting to offend her professor, but still needing to tail her godmother and obey her Grandpa Albus' orders.

What met Arden's gaze, as she stepped into the old house, was a bleak sitting room, lined with a seemingly endless supply of books. Arden, seeing the vast amount of books, gave her potions professor a pleading look that would seem better fit on a starving puppy than a thirteen year-old girl. He gave a great sigh of aggravation. Pinching the bridge of his nose with his thumb and forefinger, he closed his eyes and gestured with his free hand for Arden to go through his bookshelves. Her pleading expression quickly morphed into one of pure joy, her smile lighting up the dank and dimly lit room.

"Thank you, Professor," Arden grinned as she scampered off to the far corner to begin her search for a book she hadn't already read, leaving the adults to discuss the matter at hand.

With another sigh of agitation, Snape collapsed near to the transfiguration professor on the threadbare couch. Minerva smirked, "You know you might not be getting some of those books back. She has a bad habit of keeping ones she likes, particularly dark ones."

"Surely you didn't come here to let your godchild run wild in my sitting room," Severus commented.

The older woman shook her head, "Albus needs you to run an errand for him."

"What could he possibly want this time?" the man exasperatedly questioned.

"Harry Potter's family has run to a Muggle hotel in this town; the Railview Hotel. Do you know of it?"

"Of course, what does he need me to do for precious Potter?" Snape spit the name as if it was poison.

McGonagall's gaze caught her goddaughter curled up next to a doorway on the far side of the room. "Arden, dear, come here. I need the letters," she called out. The teen rolled her amber eyes before, grudgingly, standing up and giving her godmother the knapsack. She immediately returned to her spot by the door and continued reading from where she left off. Minerva opened the knapsack, revealing it to be stuffed to bursting with letters, all addressed to:

_Mr. H. Potter_

_Room 17_

_Railview Hotel_

_Cokeworth_

Snape's scowl deepened, "He wishes me to act as a postman?"

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

**Two weeks later:**

Arden looked happily at her packed trunk, locked and loaded with everything she needed for the upcoming year. She and Minnie had gone to Diagon Alley the prior week to pick up her new books and a few other odds and ends, all of which were locked in her trunk. Mercutio was tucked away in his cage, ready for travel. Arden tugged everything over near the fireplace in her godmother's rooms, a new supply of floo powder laid on the mantle. "Minnie, I'm ready," she called out, itching to get to the Burrow and see her friends. As much as she loved Hogwarts, she quickly grew bored of exploring the castle and its grounds without her friends.

The elder witch quickly appeared, seeming to have forgotten that Arden would be heading to the Burrow that day. "Do you have everything? Your Hogsmeade form, clothes, books, homework?" she started listing as she, herself, checked everything.

Arden giggled, "Yes, Minnie. I'll be fine, really. I'm coming back in two weeks anyway! I couldn't have left anything at the flat."

Minerva gave her a look, "Yes, dear, but if you need anything you'll have to have me owl it over, which could take a while."

Arden sighed, "Trust me, I think I have everything."

"Before you go, what are you going to do about Fred?"

The younger girl blushed deeply, "Well…um…that's a good question that…definitely deserves my deep consideration to answer…"

"Arden…"

"I don't know!" she cried, her hands finding her hair and mussing it in exasperation, "What do I do? I like him, I know I do, but…this is Fred! He's my best friend and I don't want to ruin what we have!"

Minerva hugged the flustered girl, "Breathe, love," she pulled back and wise green eyes met anxious amber orbs, "Calm down. Now then," she pulled back, "I would say the best thing to do would be to not do anything. If he doesn't like you the way you like him, then there's nothing you can do to change that, and it's best he doesn't find out how you feel. If he does like you the way you like him, then you can act on it and see what happens."

Arden nodded, "So, what you're saying is to wait until I can tell if he likes me?"

Minerva smiled, "Exactly."

Arden frowned, "This is so complicated," she griped as she grabbed a handful of floo powder, and stepped into the fireplace. Minnie spelled her stuff to the burrow as she clearly stated, "The Burrow." As soon as the world stopped spinning, she stepped out of the fireplace.

"Arden!" the twins greeted, clearly having been waiting for her. Fred jumped up and trapped her in a hug, clearly not caring that she was covered in soot, causing her to blush ever so slightly. She fit perfectly in his arms, barely reaching his chin. She needed to get a handle on her hormones, and soon. Maybe there was a spell for it? She also was a little smug; she did get taller over summer. Before, she barely reached Fred's Adam's apple; now she was up to his chin.

"We missed you! How was your summer? Your letters didn't give away much," Fred commented, letting her go.

George agreed, "Yeah, what was with that?"

Arden shuffled her feet uncomfortably, "Sorry, I have no excuse…I just wasn't doing anything interesting enough to tell you about. This summer was extremely boring on my end."

Fred shook his head, "So? You gush to us about books and such anyway."

"Don't be an artless pignut," George joked, shoving Arden playfully.

Arden's face dropped to be dead serious, "An artless pignut? You disappoint me, George; thou loggerheaded, rump-fed, hugger-mugger!"

Fred gasped and looked between his brother and best friend. George, on the other hand was smirking, "Say that to mine face, thou fobbing, elf-skinned, harpy!"

Arden's jaw set in a mocking grin, "I did, thou weedy, tickle-brained, varlot."

"Oi, oi, what's with the name calling?" Mr. Weasley came in, standing between Arden and George.

Fred laughed, "Dad, it's alright. George and Arden were just playing a game. We call each other a different combination of insults from this list that Arden gave to us in first-year."

George reinforced his brother's explanation, "Yeah, dad, it's a lot of fun."

Arden crossed her arms in a mocking manner, speaking to Fred, "You would think it fun, thou yeasty, urchin snouted, wagtail."

She had successfully baited him into their game as well, "Don't go there, thou puny, milk-livered, minnow!"

Arthur Weasley shook his head, throwing his arms up in exasperation, "I give up."

 

Dinner at the Burrow was…different, to say the least. Ron didn't verbally indicate it, but he insisted on sitting next to Arden, as he pushed George out of the way to sit next to the brunette. His ears were candy-apple red as he interrogated her about anything and everything to do with her life, interests, and what house she thought he'd be in. She, of course, said that he seemed to be a mix between a Gryffindor and a Hufflepuff, but he leaned more towards Gryffindor, for sure. That comment seemed to depress the eleven-year old, as he didn't ask another question after that. Was he hoping to get into Ravenclaw and be with her? Arden shook her head, no, that couldn't be true…could it?

After dinner, the twins each linked arms with Arden and skipped up to their room, singing the Hogwarts school song on their way. They all sat facing each other and began planning out the next year of pranks, and even designing some original products. Arden had suggested that they plan most of their pranks in advance, giving them time to tweak them, if need be, later.

"Alright, so I think after we douse the potions classroom with Doxy-attractive perfume, I say we charm the Slytherin table's chairs to vibrate and do a little dance for us," Arden suggested, smirking at what could happen with the dancing chairs. Fred face-palmed, which confused Arden. Was her idea bad? “Was it something I said?"

George patted her shoulder, "Nothing personal, love. You're just better at planning and overseeing the execution than you are at coming up with pranking ideas."

The girl sighed, saddened that her best friends believed her incapable of being mischievous. Then, a thought occurred to her. Yes, she would prank them! That would force them to have to listen to her pranking ideas! Now, to come up with a good prank, she thought as the twins carried on planning before her. She leaned back on her hands, looking up at the high ceiling in the bedroom. It would have to be something they had never done before, completely unique in its execution…What to do….what to do…

 

The next morning, Arden practically skipped down to the kitchen, her charmed purse hung from her shoulder. She was going to start Phase 1 of her plan for pranking the twins.

"Good morning, Mrs. Weasley!" Arden chipperly greeted, beaming at the mother of her victims.

Molly smiled back, flipping a pancake over, "Good morning, dear, you're up early. How did you sleep?"

"I slept well. Thanks again for letting me stay."

Molly patted her cheek, "Any time, love. You're always welcome."

"Is there anything I can do to help you make breakfast?"

The ginger woman nodded, "Yes, would you mind going out to the chicken coop and getting me a basket of eggs? I used up the ones we had inside making the pancakes."

"Of course!" Arden picked up the old wicker basket next to the door, "Be back in a jiff." Before heading to gather eggs, Arden ran around to the broom-shed and duct-taped the twins’ brooms to the wall. She also attached an airhorn to the wall where the door-knob would be sure to hit it. Arden laughed as she set everything up, knowing the boys wouldn’t suspect muggle-popularized pranks because they weren’t exposed to muggle-media like she was. Arden went to the chicken coop, gathered a basket of eggs, and skipped back to the kitchen. 

She opened the door and said, "Here you are, Mrs. Weasley!" She handed her the basket filled to the brim with eggs. "Is there anything else I can do to help?"

"Not at all, dear. Unless you want to go wake everyone up?"

Arden nodded, "I can do that." She ran up the stairs, first heading to Ginny's room. She woke the girl up by hitting her face with a pillow and yelling, "WAKE UP, GINEVRA," knowing how much the youngest Weasley hated being called by her full first-name.

The ginger girl awoke with a jolt, hitting Arden in retaliation with her own pillow. After a few minutes, Ginny jumped out of bed to get dressed.

Arden headed for Percy's room, unsurprised to see him already dressed and waiting for someone to fetch him.

Next was Ron, he was the deepest sleeper out of the entire Weasley family. How would she wake him up? An idea occurred to her, and she ran for the bathroom. She filled a cup with cold water and confidently walked to his bedside. She splashed his face with the water and ran for it, all the way to the twins' bedroom.

Arden woke them as she normally did, by jumping on Fred's bed, than George's, while singing the most annoying song she knew in the most obnoxious voice she could make.

After ensuring they were awake, Arden skipped down the stairs and sat at the table in her spot next to Fred's. She made sure Mrs. Weasley wasn't looking before starting the next phase of her plan.

She pulled some extra-strength duct tape from her back pocket and placed a small strip on the opening of the faucet, making sure it was secure and wouldn't fly off when the water was turned on full blast.

After that, Arden reached into her pocket and pulled out a bottle of Extreme Death Sauce (a hot sauce that rated about 1,500,000 on the Muggle Scovile scale) and dripped several drops into Fred's and George's pumpkin juice glasses. She made sure to stir the glasses with her fork, and then ‘accidently’ dropped on the ground.

"Mrs. Weasley, I dropped my fork…" Arden said, feigning embarrassment.

The mother turned to Arden, "Not a problem, love. Here's a clean one," she said, giving the brunette one from their cutlery drawer.

Just as Arden was halfway into her breakfast, the rest of the Weasley children joined them. Fred and George sat at their usual spots at the table, Ron forced himself next to Arden, and Ginny across from her. The first thing the twins did was wolf down their pancakes, getting into discussion with Arden about their History of Magic essay. After she finished, well before anyone else, Arden excused herself, and went out the kitchen door to ‘go fly around for a bit.' She took her charmed purse with her, promising to pick some fruit from the Weasley orchard for Molly. 

As soon as she closed the door, she quickly pulled out the cellophane wrap in her purse and attached it to the doorframe, making it as flat as possible. She then ran to the broom-shed. She double-checked that everything was in place before grabbing her broom and flying up to wait for the boys. 

They pulled the door open, and slammed face-first into the cellophane. They were soaked from the taped up sink, and their mouths were a darker shade of red than their hair. They glared up at her, where she simply waved, “Hello, boys!” They ran to the broom-shed, while Arden simply waited, in view, near their open-bedroom window. They caused the air-horn to go off, and she flew into their room as soon as she heard them tearing off the duct-tape. 

She quickly reached into her purse and pulled out two cans of Silly String, preparing to fire. As soon as they reached their bedroom window, Arden shot off the Silly String before they could come in, laughing at their appalled expressions. She ran out of ammo quickly, and allowed the twins access to their room. Right before they could yell at her, however, she pulled out a pack of fudge ice-lollies for their burning mouths. They gratefully took them. While they were soothing their scorched orifices, Arden smirked, “Now, what was it you said about me being bad at planning pranks?”

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Later on in the week would find George and Fred sitting, frustrated, in their room trying to finish their summer work. Arden had refused to help them, remarking, "You two should've finished earlier. I'll tell you where to look for information, but you're on your own otherwise." Two days and several hours into their work, they had only finished three essays out of their seven, and they had five days until they went to King's Cross.

Fred figured that Arden would be more helpful with their work…and by helpful, he meant that she would let them read her essays and use everything she did in a different style…what did she call that? Paragraphing? Paranormal? Abridging? Something like that…No matter, he was capable of writing four essays in five days with time to spare…right?

George, on the other hand, was panicking. He wanted to call it quits, his hand was cramping so hard that he forgot what it felt like to not be in pain. He looked over to his brother, sitting on his bed with books open around him. Fred always seemed so calm when disaster was on the rise. How did he do it? George shook his head, no. He had to stay focused. Now, when your wand is moved in a particular pattern with enough determination and the correct incantation….

CRASH! Tap…tap…tap

The twins looked outside their bedroom window only to see a large screech owl flapping about, demanding to be let in. Fred stood up and opened the window, allowing the feathery beast to rest on their laundry hamper. It lifted its leg, revealing a letter addressed to them and Arden tied to it. Fred relived the bird of its burden while George went to get it water from the kitchen. When his twin returned, Fred opened the letter and they read it together.

_"Oi, you lot. You won't believe what I got over summer! My dad bought me a tarantula! How cool is that, you ask? Very, very cool indeed. Arden, I know what you're thinking right about now. I know it's not on the list of approved pets, but Percy had his rat for ages! If a rat's ok with McGonagall, shouldn't she be ok with a tartantula? They make much less mess and they eat bugs, and no one likes bugs._  
_Anyway, did you lot figure out who might be joining Hogwarts this year? Think, it's been ten years since You-Know-Who fell…If you guessed Uric the Oddball, what are you on and can I have some? HARRY BLOODY POTTER! I'll bet you six sickles that he's in Gryffindor. He has to be, he defeated You-Know-Who!_  
_Well, I gotta go. Mum says dinner's ready. I'll see you three on the train!_  
_Your friend,_  
_Lee"_

"Oi, Fred…I think I have another prank to add to the list…"

Fred quickly picked up on his twin’s train of thought, "George, I love the way you think."

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

"Come on, come on! We're going to be late for the train! Ginny, quit clinging onto my arm; Percy, walk faster, you need to get there first; Fred, George, behave or so help me; Ron, do catch up; Arden, be a dear and keep the twins under control until the train leaves," Mrs. Weasley recited as they clambered out of the Weasley family car, a light blue Ford Anglia. The boot of the car had been charmed to fit all of their belongings, including Mercutio, in his cage, and Percy's ego. They had gotten to King’s Cross at 10:45am, and the train was leaving at 11:00am as it always did. 

As the group marched through the station, Molly suddenly stopped. She was staring at this frantic-looking boy. He was wearing an over-sized t-shirt and jeans that were far too big for his small frame. He was tall, but overly thin, his glasses were taped together, and his dark hair was untamed. He was talking to a security guard who seemed annoyed by the boy, and walked away from him. He seemed to be alone. Arden noticed, seemingly the same time Molly did, that he had an owl atop a trunk. He had to be one of them. Arden could tell, as could Molly, that just going up to him could be a bad idea. It may startle him and he’d run off. Molly walked back the way they came, bringing all six kids with her, and walked parallel to the lost boy, loudly stating, “Packed with muggles, of course.” as she ushered them past the boy, “What was the platform number again?”

Percy, confusedly said, “Nine and three-quarters, mum. How could you forg…” he stopped when twins elbowed him in his ribs. They gestured to the lost boy, and Percy caught onto his mother’s confusing behavior.

The boy didn’t seem to notice them, so Molly dragged them back and walked them past him again. This time, they spoke louder. 

“Packed with muggles, of course!” Molly almost yelled as she ushered her gaggle of kids past the boy, “What was the platform number again?”

“Nine and three-quarters!” Arden and the twins chorused from behind her. The boy still didn’t look up. He was talking to another security guard who stalked away from him. He looked panicked now. 

Once again, Molly brought them back to where they started, and practically flew past the boy, “What is the platform number?!”

Ron bellowed, “Nine and three-quarters!”

He didn’t look up.

Molly checked the time. they had nine minutes to get onto the train. One more time, she decided. She didn’t care about the stares she was getting from the muggles around them. She didn’t care how crazed she must have looked. SHE WAS HELPING THIS BOY ONTO THE BLOODY TRAIN!

She walked them back and proclaimed as loudly as she could, “Packed with Muggles, of course! Now, what's the platform number?!" 

"Nine and three-quarters!" Ginny yelled. She followed with, "Mum, can't I go?"

"You're not old enough, Ginny, now be quiet.” She checked to see if the boy was looking at them. He was! Perfect, she smiled in his direction. They were in front of the platform markers, and Molly took her chance while the boy was watching, “All right, Percy, you go first."

Percy, proudly, marched toward platforms nine and ten, vanishing almost instantly. He went almost completely unnoticed by the Muggle populous in the station.

Mrs. Weasley nodded, pleased with Percy's disappearance. She seemed to calm down monumentally as she said, "Fred, you next,"

Fred subtly winked at Arden, their way of saying, ‘I'm about to pull a fast one.’ Fred exclaimed, feigning to be offended, "I'm not Fred, I'm George! Honestly, woman, you call yourself our mother? Can't you tell I'm George?"

Mrs. Weasley nodded in an apologetic way, gesturing to him to hurry up, "Sorry, George, dear."

As Fred walked forward with his trolley, he said to his mother, "Only joking, I am Fred," and off he went; George and Arden called after him to hurry up, and, a second later, he was gone.

Just as Arden was readying herself to go, "Excuse me," the boy came up and said to Mrs. Weasley.

The plump woman's actions finally paid off, "Hello, dear," she greeted, a motherly smile upon her face, "First time at Hogwarts? Ron's new, too." She pointed at the last and youngest of her sons.

"Yes," said the new boy, "The thing is - the thing is, I don't know how to -"

"How to get onto the platform?" she finished his statement kindly, and he nodded. "Not to worry. All you have to do is walk straight at the barrier between platforms nine and ten. Don't stop and don't be scared, or you'll crash into it. That's very important. Best do it at a bit of a run if you're nervous. Go on, go now before Arden," Mrs. Weasley gestured to the only other brunette in their small cluster of people.

"Er - okay," said the boy, nervous because some random woman told him to run at a wall. He pushed his trolley around and stared at the barrier, which, admittedly, looked very solid. He started to walk toward it, people jostling him on their way to platforms nine and ten. He walked more quickly, leaning forward on his cart to gain momentum, and successfully passed through the platform.

Finally, it was Arden's turn. She wasn't worried, having done this twice already, so she took it at a casual canter. She passed through the barrier with ease and encountered the sight of so many Wizarding children's dreams, one that never got old. The scarlet steam engine was open next to a bustling platform, the old Hogwarts Express sign swinging overhead. A wrought-iron archway where the barrier was read "Platform Nine and Three-Quarters", yet was slightly obscured by the billowing smoke pouring out of the engine and around the entire platform, making it look like some sort of dream.

After finding a compartment for herself and the twins', and placing her trunk, purse, and Mercutio in the corner closest to the window, Arden was suddenly wrapped in a very familiar half-embrace, "Have a good summer, Lee?" the brunette asked.

He chuckled, "How'd you tell it was me?"

Arden shoved him playfully, "Because you clearly forgot to put on deodorant this morning!"

Lee shoved her back, "Hey!” and laughed. “Come on, then, everyone wants to see my new pet!" he excitedly chirped and held up the brown, cardboard box in his arms to further drive his point.

Arden shook her head, "McGonagall is going to take that from you before Christmas, guarantee it."

He shrugged and led her over to the group of third and fourth years who were waiting for him. They were gathered around outside the train. Fred joined the group and stood next to Arden, linking her arm with his in a slightly possessive manner when he caught Cedric Diggory looking at her. Arden, of course, was oblivious. She was lost in her own little world, until one of the students called out, "Give us a look, Lee, go on."

Lee smirked and lifted the lid off the box just enough for a long, hairy leg to poke out, causing many members of the audience to scream.

Fred and Arden locked eyes and simultaneously commented, "Wicked…"

"Oy, Fred, Arden, c'mere and help!" George called out from over by one of the closer carriages. He was attempting to help the small boy from earlier get his things on the train. She and Fred both made their way over from Lee's display to the other member of their quartet.

With help from the twins and Arden, his trunk was lifted with ease onto the train and was tucked away into a corner of an empty compartment. "Thanks," said the boy, pushing sweaty bangs away from his glasses. That one small action was very, very, monumental to the lives of the three thirteen year-olds stood around him. That movement exposed a scar shaped precisely like a bolt of lightning on his forehead, revealing his identity, Harry Potter, the boy who lived. It had to be him, Arden justified; nothing except one of the darkest curses could leave a mark like that. 

"Oy," George pointed at Harry's forehead, "What's that?"

Fred's eyes widened in shock, "Blimey, are you?" he turned and locked eyes with George for a moment before returning his gaze to Harry.

"He is," George affirmed, "Aren't you?" he added, questioning Harry.

"What?" said Harry.

"Harry Potter, "chorused the twins.

"Oh, him," said Harry, "I mean, yes, I am."

The two boys gawked at him, and Harry started turning red.

Then a voice came floating in through the train's open door. "Fred? George? Arden? Are you there?"

"Coming, Mom."

Arden tugged on Fred's shirt-sleeve before he could follow George off the train, "I'm going to stay with Harry for a bit. He seems a bit…shocked." Fred nodded and, with a last look at Harry, hopped off the train to join his family.

Harry sat down next to the window where, half hidden, he could watch the red-haired family on the platform and hear what they were saying. Their mother had just taken out her handkerchief.

Arden let him watch the Weasleys for a couple minutes before tapping his shoulder, "So, Harry Potter, must be a bit of a shock to you that you're famous."

Harry broke his gaze from the red-headed family and turned it to Arden, completely shell-shocked, "How'd you know that? Everyone seems to think I already know about what happened a decade ago!"

She giggled, "It's obvious, written all over your face. Your ego would be too big to fit through the barrier if you had grown up knowing it. I suspect that it was kept secret from you for a long time, possibly until you turned eleven, which I know wasn't until two months ago."

Harry shrank back in his seat a bit, "You know my birthday? Were you stalking me or something?"

Arden burst out laughing, "Don't be so conceited. No, I have very close ties with the person who sends the letters to the incoming first-year students. She told me all about the little fiasco that it took to get you your letter. Plus, Hagrid is a good friend of mine, we have tea every now and again." Then, a thought occurred to Arden, "Oh, sorry, I never introduced myself, did I? I'm Arden Greyson, third year Ravenclaw student. Those two ginger idiots that just left are my best friends, Fred and George Weasley. I'll warn you now, if you get on any of our bad sides, you'll regret it. We're the best group of pranksters that Hogwarts has seen in the last ten years, at least," Arden advised.

Harry nodded, "Thanks, I'll keep that in mind."

They talked for a bit more about mundane subjects that Arden had specifically planned out to get a feel on Harry J. Potter. He was her new, self-imposed, project. She was going to keep an extremely close, analytical eye on the kid, on account of multiple theories circulating around the Wizarding community that Harry could be the next Dark Lord and that's why Voldemort tried to kill him ten-years ago.

As they were discussing the functionality of Wizarding currency vs Muggle currency, the door to Harry's compartment slid open and Ron peeked in. "Is anyone sitting there," he asked, pointing to the seat across from Harry, "Everywhere else is full."

Harry shook his head, cuing Ron to sit down. He glanced at Arden, who noted that his cheeks and the tips of his ears turned just ever so slightly pinker the longer he looked at her…poor kid.

Arden nodded to Harry, about to leave, when the twins returned. "Hey, Ron," they greeted simultaneously.

"Arden, there you are!" Fred waltzed over, throwing his arm around her waist, taunting Ron with their closeness.

George followed Fred's lead, throwing his arm around her free side, "We've been looking absolutely everywhere for you, love!" He then looked at his brother, "Listen, we're going down the middle of the train; Lee Jordan's got a giant tarantula down there." 

"Right," mumbled Ron.

Arden glared slightly at George's comment, knowing that he had probably already seen it by then. He had only said that to scare his brother into not following them around, poor Ron. She might not have liked the fact that the kid had a crush on her, but that didn't mean that she wanted him scared to be around her. She wanted to be friends, at the very least civil (Percy), with the entirety of the Weasley family.

"Harry," said the other twin, "did we introduce ourselves? Arden probably did that for us, but Fred and George Weasley" Fred gestured to himself and his twin respectively, "and this is Ron, our brother. See you later, then."

"Bye," said Harry and Ron.

The trio of third years slid the compartment door shut behind them.

The trio walked through the carriages, greeting their friends and teasing Perfect Prefect Percy. The train ride to Hogwarts was always fun. Upon reaching their compartment, they slid open the door and found a bushy brown-haired girl looking around. She didn't seem to notice their presence, or even that they had opened the compartment to begin with. She seemed awfully familiar to Arden…Was that Hermione Granger?

The twins, in true prankster fashion, snuck up behind her as quietly as they could, careful not to make a sound. They leaned in slowly and carefully, before poking her on each side just enough to make her scream. The third years burst out into gut-wrenching laughter. Sometimes, you only needed to use the simplest of tricks to get the best laugh out of everyone.

When the girl turned around, Arden's suspicions were confirmed. Hermione was indeed searching around in their compartment for something.

As soon as she stopped laughing, Arden asked, "Hermione, what are you doing in our compartment?"

The bushy-haired girl, flustered that she had already been made a fool of, replied in a huff, "Have you seen a toad? A boy named Neville's lost one." The trio shook their heads. "Great," Hermione grumbled.

Arden, knowing why the girl was upset, requested, "Fred, George, mind giving us a minute?" She sat Hermione in the seat across from hers.

The twins glanced to each other and nodded, "Let us know when we can come back in," Fred said, walking outside with George, "We'll be with Lee and his tarantula across the hall." He shut the door behind them.

Hermione tore into Arden as soon as they left, "You said no one would bully or laugh at me!"

Arden held up her hands in defense, "Woah, Hermione, calm down. Those are Fred and George, two of my best friends! They just like a harmless laugh now and again, that's all."

"You're friends with...with…bullies?"

Arden shook her head, "Pranksters, completely separate species. Fred and George only target people that make it too easy or are unjust in their treatment of others. They never do it to hurt anyone or make themselves feel better, they do it to make people laugh."

"And you help them?" Hermione said sarcastically, "What are you their planner or something?"

Arden nodded, "Something like that. I make sure the pranks will work, not harm anyone, and they can pull it off without getting into too much trouble. I know Hogwarts inside, out, upside-down, and backwards. I never, ever, get caught. They promised that I'd never get into trouble, and they've done great so far."

"Does McGonagall know?" Hermione asked.

The older girl nodded, " 'Course she does, Fred and George are in her house, after all."

Hermione blanched, "They're in Gryffindor? How? They're devious, ambitious, malicious-"

Arden glared, "Take that back."

Hermione resembled a deer in headlights, scared of Arden's death glare. "T-take what back?"

Arden stood up, "What you said about Fred and George. They are not malicious, they are not devious, I will admit to them being ambitious, but they are Gryffindors through and through. They're daring to break the rules to bring a smile to someone's face. They're loyal and willing to do anything for anybody. I know Fred and George would go to the ends of the Earth and back for someone they cared about. If that's not Gryffindor, than I don't know what is." Hermione seemed rather taken aback, and slowly slipped out of the compartment during Arden's little speech. Arden did not like anyone insulting anybody that they didn't know. What right did they have to judge?

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

As always, the Sorting Ceremony took place after the Sorting Hat sang its song. But this year, this year was special. Every single returning student knew of one particular first year that was getting sorted, his name: Harry James Potter.

It seemed an eternity had passed before Minny called, "Potter, Harry." Those that were unaware of the celebrity joining their ranks were whispering and craning their necks to get a good look at the boy. Arden felt bad for him, he didn't ask for any of the fame; it got thrust upon him randomly by Hagrid, who told him the truth of his parents' demise and why he was famous and special. The kid wanted nothing more than to be normal and accepted.

Seo tapped her shoulder, "What house do you think he'll be in?"

Mary piped up, "My money's on Gryffindor. You-Know-Who was in Slytherin, so it would make sense, yeah?"

Arden shook her head, "I'm not betting on any house."

Seo and Mary looked appalled, "Why not?"

She shook her head, "If you haven't already thought about it, I'm not explaining it."

After several minutes, the old hat opened its mouth and announced "GRYFFINDOR!" 

The entire Gryffindor table exploded with cheers. Older students jumping and shouting in excitement, Fred and George shouted, "WE GOT POTTER! WE GOT POTTER," for the entire country to hear.

Arden, her head resting on her palm, watched while the famous boy ran to join his new house. Her housemates, both old and new, seemed to be disappointed that the celebrity didn't join Ravenclaw. Arden let out a dispirited sigh, her faith in her housemates to be mature in the face of someone who was a little more well known than most and just happened to vanquish the most powerful dark wizard since Grindelwald was lost. Honestly, she thought, can't these people see that Harry isn't anything more than a kid who got lucky once upon a time?

A while passed, before another name caught her attention, "Ronald Weasley," Minnie called into the, much smaller, crowd of first years. Arden watched a familiar, lanky, redhead clamber onto the stool. Ron sat stock still while McGonagall placed the worn hat over his eyes.

Arden didn't need to wait very long, as not even ten seconds later, the hat called out, "GRYFFINDOR," and the youngest Weasley boy joined his brothers.

After an unimportant boy, whose surname began with a Z, was sorted into Slytherin, the Sorting Ceremony was finally over. Grandpa Albus stood up, opened his arms wide, beamed at the students as if nothing could have pleased him more than to see them all there, and began his annual Start of the Year Speech, "Welcome, welcome to a new year at Hogwarts! Before we begin our banquet, I would like to say a few words. And here they are: Nitwit! Blubber! Oddment! Tweak! Thank you!" Arden giggled at Grandpa Albus’ odd tendencies before gazing at the buffet of food sitting before her, just waiting to be consumed. Her stomach rumbled in need, so she dug in.

The food was eaten, the school song sung in a slow funeral march by Arden and Co., and Dumbledore dismissed the students to their dorms. As the Ravenclaws made the collective, long trek, to the top of the tower, Arden made small talk with her two roommates.

"And his eyes! Oh I could just gaze at them for days; days, Mary!" Seo gushed about Their new crush of the week.

Mary added, "And his hair is so poofy! Doesn't it look like you could sleep in it?"

Arden nodded along, having no idea who they were talking about. She tended to zone out when the girls would talk nonsense about other people. As Minnie had once told her: great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people. She had heard that from some famous Muggle woman on the telly and rather liked it.

"So, Arden, how's Cedric doing?" Seo asked, trying to get dirt on her crush.

The amber-eyed witch shrugged, "Alright, I guess. He owled me a bit over the summer asking about his Transfiguration essay, and I helped him out. I was in his neck of the woods visiting the Weasleys, but we didn't see each other at all."

Seo seemed put off, "Why not? Why wouldn't you try to meet up with someone like Cedric Diggory?" she sighed out his name as if just saying it brought her immense pleasure.

"It's not like we're really close or anything, Seo. I just help him out with Transfiguration, nothing much else to say," she commented, wanting nothing more than to sleep. She could see the bronze knocker; she just had to wait for one of the first years to attempt to solve the riddle.

Seo wasn't finished, however, "But you see him in private! Can't you see if he likes me? Please, Arden!" she pleaded, desperate for some form of information.

If Voldemort were to come back, right then would have been ideal for him to burst into Hogwarts and strike her down. Arden wanted an easy way out of the conversation, "Fine, fine, I'll ask. Ok?"

Seo hugged her just as a boy named Terry Boot solved the riddle, "THANK YOU, ARDEN! I'm forever in your debt!"

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

"N-n-now if you w-w-would t-t-turn your b-b-books to p-p-page thirty," Professor Quirrell, the new Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor for that year, stuttered out. He turned around to draw a diagram to further explain the lure of Hinkypunks on travelers, which gave Fred, George, Lee, and Arden a good window of opportunity to initiate the terrified professor into Hogwarts, their style.

Lee opened the shoe-box containing his tarantula under his desk, having placed a snack for it below Quirrell's desk that morning before breakfast. The tarantula, hungry from not having been fed for an entire six hours, scrambled to where the food was placed.

After a good ten minutes of taking notes, Arden noted that the tarantula was starting to climb up the desk to get a better view of its surroundings. She nudged Fred with her arm, letting him know that their prank was getting started. Fred tossed Lee a glance, and Lee nudged George, alerting him as well. Arden took out her wand and, when Quirrell's back was turned, cast the enlargement charm, "Engorgio," on the tarantula. She did it in brief bursts, causing the arachnid to increase in about a centimeter's diameter each time. After the eighth burst of the charm, Quirrell turned around and screamed like a little girl, causing the entire class of Ravenclaws and Gryffindors to burst out into laughter. Quirrell threw his book at the poor creature, effectively crushing it to death.

 

During lunch that day, Arden had cast a spell to make a perfectly dug grave for their fallen friend. George had picked wild flowers for each of them to toss onto the shoebox casket, and Fred had spent his time comforting Lee. He had really loved that tarantula, the poor guy.

Lee cried silently while Fred hummed a funeral march as he lowered the casket into the three-foot deep hole.

Arden had decided to say a few words. She looked down into the hole as she solemnly spoke, "I had only known him for about thirty-eight hours, but he was the bravest of us all. He shall be dearly missed. I will always remember him for his willingness to scare the pants off of Quirrell. He really did it like a champ." With those words, she tossed about half of her flowers into the grave.

Lee was choked up, "I will always remember you, good bye friend," he wiped his tears off of his cheeks with his robes.

George threw his entire bouquet into the hole while he said, "You were a good giant spider." Fred tossed his in with the same comment.

After the burial, the group stood in silence around the grave for several minutes. Lee finally decided to break it with, "Did we really just have a funeral for a tarantula?"


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I DO NOT OWN HARRY POTTER OR ANY OF ITS CHARACTERS! I ONLY OWN MY OCS!
> 
> *dancing like an idiot while screaming in an obnoxious voice* PEOPLE LIKE MY WORK! PEOPLE LIKE MY WORK!
> 
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Arden collapsed, face first, onto her soft, welcoming bed, wanting nothing more than to sleep for the rest of eternity. Quidditch practice was killer on your back, especially if you were as ‘gifted’ as she, apparently, was in the chest department. Mercutio seemed to understand that Arden's lower back was in pain, and walked onto her back, kneading, as cats do, for a good few minutes before settling down and purring. Sometimes, magical cats were better than people. In her warm, comfortable, exhausted state, Arden drifted off into a world that was entirely her own; and it may have included a certain red headed boy.

 

Unfortunately, we all must emerge from the land of cherry lips and crystal skies at some point. Arden's return from the realm of the fantastic was less than ideal; Seo and Mary were arguing, as girls do, about which one of them Cedric smiled at in the library. Arden groaned, burying her face into her pillow. All she wanted was peace and quiet, was that so much to ask?

Her roommates stopped arguing and stared at their amber-eyed acquaintance, unaware that she was attempting to sleep. Arden shot them daggers, sat up, disturbing Mercutio from his nap, and stomped her way out of the room. She knew where to get a few minutes of peace and quiet.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Arden adored the map, definitely up there on her list of things she didn't know how she ever functioned without. When her roommates, house mates, friends, or the library were too busy or getting on her nerves, she tended to use the map to find a place to read or relax. One place in particular ended up being her favorite. Arden checked the Maurader's Map to make sure that no one was anywhere near the non-magical portrait of the Founders on the second floor. She was in the clear. She quickly padded over to the portrait, Mercutio tailing her as he always did, and pulled it open, revealing the best room in all of Hogwarts.

It was a small room, not much bigger than she imagined the Gryffindor common room to be, but it was beautiful nonetheless. The walls of the room were painted to symbolize each house. The right-hand wall was lined with several bookshelves, filled to bursting with books, and painted with bronze and navy horizontal stripes. The scarlet back wall was equipped with a fireplace, made of gold colored bricks. The wall adjacent to that housed a snack-storage that never seemed to run out and was built out of yellow and black bricks in a checkerboard pattern. The wall with the portrait hole was covered in black and green curtains. The room was furnished with four comfy, plush armchairs: one red, one blue, one yellow, and one green, and there was one large, extremely comfortable, purple couch in the middle of them with an intricately designed throw-blanket draped over it. The couch was Arden's destination. She set out a bowl of water for Mercutio, should he decide he was thirsty, grabbed a book on dark wizarding acts from before the nineteenth century, and laid down on the couch to read her worries away.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

In the following weeks, Arden had come to love her electives.

Care of Magical Creatures was definitely interesting. Yes, they had to write quite a few essays on the benefits of having extra appendages, being able to breathe fire, and what not. But, the class itself was so much fun, it nearly made up for the many, many, rolls of parchment they had to use every week.

Arithmancy was a bit dry and not quite as active, but it was very immersive. Arden couldn't believe how many magical properties that numbers had! In her first week, they learned that seven was the most powerful magical number (Arden made a note to ask Mrs. Weasley about having seven children). Yes, there were so many assignments that, at times, Arden felt as if her head was going to explode, but it would be all worth it in the end, right?

Ancient Runes was a blast. Arden was literally learning to read, speak, and write in a language that no one, except for those who took the class, would understand. She was excited to learn about more ancient magic, and the workload wasn't too bad.

On top of her classes, she still had her personal mission to keep an eye on Harry. So far, he seemed to be just an average kid. Ron certainly seemed to have taken a liking to him, as did most of the teachers. Arden didn't want to let her guard down just yet, however. She knew that Voldemort seemed like a nice enough kid at first too, from what Grandpa Albus had told her, so Harry could show his true colors at any time. She was waiting for some indication, outside of his general behavior, that he was either really just a nice kid, or he was something more. It would take quite a lot to convince her that he wasn't the next dark lord.

Also, the twins wanted to prank Dumbledore by the end of the month. Over summer, Arden had found a recipe for a potion that turned every hair on one’s body into flowers, and the twins wanted to use it on the elderly wizard. While it was a good idea, it was hard to know exactly where he was going to be at any given time. Arden had to infiltrate his office and ask to set up a meeting with him at some point to not raise suspicion and get an exact read on his path anywhere. It was difficult, and the twins were putting a lot of pressure on her to pull it off. So, several nights were spent helping the twins make the potion, plus doing her homework, plus Quidditch practice, following Harry around, and learning a general schedule of Dumbledore's patrols around the castle, Arden was exhausted on the weekends and wanted nothing more than to sleep. But, she couldn't. She simply had too much to do.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Cedric came up to her one day in mid September, while she was in the library attempting to translate an eroded tablet.

"Morning, Arden!" he greeted, a gorgeous smile on his face. Arden acknowledged his greeting with a quick wave, not taking her eyes off of the book, making notes as she went. "Whatcha reading?" he asked, trying to read upside down. She held up the tablet for a millisecond, not wanting to lose any time, she was on a crunch to get this essay done. He grimaced at the worn down text before she put it back down. She was surrounded with, what seemed like, every book the library had on ancient runes. "Look, I know you're really busy right now, so I'll make this quick. Can you tutor me again this year? I'm having a lot of trouble with Transfiguration…" he rubbed the back of his neck nervously.

She nodded, listening while she jotted down something having to do with the relationship between ancient Egyptian monarchies and subsets of Wizarding populations in south East Asia in her notes.

Cedric smiled, "Great! Can we meet every Saturday or something?"

Arden agreed, dismissing him so that she could finish with all of the books before the library closed.

As soon as Cedric left, Arden’s hand paused in its translations. While her additional three classes did add to her stress levels, she somehow barely managed to finish all of her homework, study, get to Quidditch practice on time, and help the boys out with pranks. Helping Cedric shouldn’t be so bad…right? She barely managed to have enough time to sleep as is, but that was what the weekends were for…along with studying…and planning pranks with the twins…and additional Quidditch practices…. She really didn't want to lose her place at the top of her year, nor did she want to lose her spot on the Quidditch team. She closed her eyes for a millisecond and let out a bone deep sigh, letting her head fall against the table in front of her. What was one more thing on her plate?

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Late night, in late September, Arden was in her hideaway attempting to finish an essay for History of Magic. She had completed her diagrams for Transfiguration, her formulae for Arithmancy, and her essay for Care of Magical Creatures. She just had her Potions essay, Ancient Runes translation, Astronomy essay, and Defense Against the Dark Arts essay to finish. It was half past 10:00pm, almost time for curfew. She had been up for almost two days trying to finish everything. She was feeling stretched extremely thin, trying to balance everything this term seemed a near impossible task.

Mercutio was feeling rather neglected, as he watched his mistress focus on her work. Her negative emotions were affecting his mental state as well. He rubbed his head on her tummy, trying to calm her down. He knew that she was stressed, but she didn't seem to acknowledge that fact. He knew that she needed a break, but she wouldn't allow herself one.

Something inside Arden seemed to snap. She started to feel like she was drowning, her thoughts became blurred, she couldn't breathe, she couldn't see, she couldn't move, she felt like she was dying. Why was her heart pounding? Why was her face wet? She was curled up into herself and was shaking. What was happening?

Arden was staring into nothingness with tears streaming down her freckled cheeks, more overflowing than she was actually crying. Her magic was swirling angrily around her, not harming anything but making air blow around in a sphere around her. Her thoughts were racing at such a speed that she couldn't process anything. Her thoughts were racing at such a speed she was unable to register them, her head felt as if it was full of static. She had no idea what was going on. She had lost control of everything. She felt like she was outside her body, watching it act on its own, but she was still trapped inside. She was drowning in a sea of fear, yet she knew she was perfectly safe. She couldn't process anything. Her mind and body were two separate entities and she had control of neither of them. What was happening?

Mercutio went into overdrive, trying to get his mistress to snap out of whatever state of paralysis she was in. He tried to dive into the magic circle that was protecting her, but got thrown back against one of the many bookshelves lining the walls of the room. He cried, but the noise fell on deaf ears. But the poor feline kept trying, refusing to stop until his mistress was safe. Then, a thought occurred to him. He knew that she would get in trouble for being out past curfew, but his mistress was in danger. Her mind was attacking her; that much he knew. Being a magic cat had its perks. The cat used his instincts to find an exit, looking everywhere he possibly could fit. The humans had to have an emergency exit somewhere, right? They designed this place, after-all. He ducked behind the bookshelves, under the table, near the main entrance to this room, finally finding one on top of the cabinets of the snack wall. He ducked through the hole and found himself back in the hallway.

The cat made a beeline for his mistess' mistress. He had followed his mistress enough times to know the quickest way to get to his mistress' mistress' chambers. The special room his mistress liked to occupy was on the fourth floor of the castle, making the trip down to the second floor an easy trip. As soon as he landed on the desired story, he bolted eastward. When he finally reached his mistress' mistress rooms, he clawed at the door and cried as loudly as he could.

Finally, about five minutes later, his mistress' mistress opened the door. She looked rather agitated, but her expression visibly softened when she saw that it was Mercutio.

"What are you doing here?" she asked, bending down to his level.

Mercutio, being the smart cat he was, ran behind her legs and pushed against them, indicating clearly that she needed to follow him somewhere.

"Is Arden in trouble?" McGonagall asked, remembering Arden's first year when she fell down the stairs. Mercutio let out an affirming noise, triggering McGonagall's maternal instincts. "Lead the way," she ordered the cat.

Mercutio sprinted back towards the stairs, McGonagall on his tail. He dashed up each flight and tore down the fourth floor hallway. Coming to a stop in front of the portrait of the Founders, he watched as his mistress' mistress caught up to him.

She caught her breath for a moment, looking quizzically at the feline. "Why did we stop here?" she asked, looking at the painting, "Is she trapped?"

He nudged her towards the picture and meowed, tapping the wall with his forelegs.

McGonagall's brows furrowed in confusion, was this portrait a secret passageway? It was worth a try, she mused. She walked up to the painting and pulled it open, revealing a small, beautiful room. In the center of it, however, chaos was running free. Arden was clearly in distress. Her magic formed a protective barrier around her, causing the surrounding air to crackle with raw energy.

The cat ran over as close as the barrier would allow, standing next to it and awaiting orders from the elder witch. McGonagall gripped her wand tight beneath her robes, as she stepped into the room. She could only think of one solution, and she did not want to act on it. But, it seemed as though she had no choice. Her emerald robes were billowing around her, the barrier causing disturbances in the air. She lifted her wand arm, going through the motions as she cast the stunning spell, "Stupefy!"

The red light of the charm broke through the barrier as though it wasn't there, hitting Arden straight in the chest. She fell to the ground, unconscious. The barrier shattered into little glimmers of light, fading into the surrounding air. Mercutio, the ever-dutiful tomcat, ran straight to his mistress' side, attempting to nudge her back to consciousness.

"Wingardium Leviosa," McGonagall cast the levitation charm and lifted her goddaughter into the air, planning on taking her to the Hospital Wing…yet again…

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Arden noted that she was laying on something much more open than the couch in her little alcove, but it was very familiar and soft. She also took notice of the very sterile smell in the air. She came to the conclusion that she was in the hospital wing, and she could just hear Minnie talking to Madam Pomfrey in the Mediwitch's office. She, groggily, opened her amber eyes and took a look around. Unsurprisingly, she was the only patient there. It was still very dark out. It must have been around midnight, as the moon was at its brightest. 

Mercutio had jumped onto her bed, rubbing his head against her belly once before curling up on her. He looked into her eyes, concern showing in his green orbs. The reason for her being there had finally hit her. What had happened back there? Arden tried to get out of bed, disrupting Mercutio. The tomcat meowed loudly, alerting Minnie and Madam Pomfrey of her return to the world of the living.

The Transfiguration professor was at Arden's side so quickly that, if she didn't know any better, Arden would have sworn her godmother had apparated inside Hogwarts. McGonagall hugged the young witch, "Don't you ever scare me like that again," she chided.

Arden pulled back from the embrace, "What happened to me?" she fearfully asked, looking between the two older witches. 

Madam Pomfrey gave the girl a pitying look, "You had a panic attack. Your magic responded to your fear and was trying to protect you, but there was nothing to protect you from. It's quite common, actually, but more so in the Fifth and Seventh year students around exam time."

Arden was stumped, "What's a panic attack?" In all of her reading, she had heard of anxiety and a wide variety of mental disorders, but panic actually attacking someone? It was nowhere in any of her books. Was it something that only affected magical people? Was panic more personified in the Wizarding World?

Minerva explained, "It's when someone feels an overwhelming rush of fear and anxiety that interferes with their normal functions. You can often feel like you're going to die or can't breathe. All you can do is feel. It's something a lot of people have, especially when they're stressed and haven't had a good night's sleep in a while." Arden shrunk, knowing where this was going. Her godmother sighed, "As much as I hate to do this, I am going to tell Madam Hooch that you are not allowed to play Quidditch until you can show me that you are capable of handling your work load."

Arden's jaw dropped to the ground floor of Hogwarts. She knew that Minnie would be preventing her from potentially harming herself, but she also knew that Quidditch was a big stress relief for her. "But, Minnie-" she attempted to argue.

"Arden, my decision is final; no more Quidditch."

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

For several hours, since she was too scared to fall asleep. She thought that she could have another attack in her sleep. Arden stared blankly at the ceiling, tear tracks drying on her cheeks. No thoughts ran through her head, just white noise. She was depressed, upset, melancholy, and every other synonym for sad that existed. Quidditch was her life (outside of reading and pranking) she loved it. It was an escape for her, in a way that reading couldn't provide. She didn't have to think as much as she did when reading or studying, she could just have a blank mind and simply exist. That's one reason that she loved being a Chaser. She only had to focus on one task: put the Quaffle in a hoop. Arden knew that part of the reason that she was attached to the sport was because it was something for her and Minnie to connect over. But, the point stood, she loved Quidditch.

Not being allowed to play it killed her. Not only that, but it also added to the stress that she was already feeling. How could the team work without one of their Chasers? There were only three of them! Ravenclaw wasn't the most athletic of the houses, it was tough enough finding seven people who wanted to play, and were actually good at it. Her teammates were going to be so sore with her…Arden pulled her knees up to her chest and hid her face in them, dreading the thought of having to face her house-mates.

 

That morning, after being released from the Hospital Wing, Arden had rushed to the library to do more research about panic attacks, and complete the remainder of her homework. 

 

Finally having finished her homework, Arden trekked up several staircases to get back to her dorm. She was thanking every deity and great wizard she could think of that it was a Saturday. As she reached the Brass Knocker, she found a group of her housemates stuck outside. She sighed, knowing the drill, and walked up to the darned thing.

In its usual melodic voice, the knocker opened its maw and asked, "What question can you never answer yes to?" 

Arden took a step away from the knocker, a habit she had picked up over the years to allow any of the other students to get access to the knocker, and thought of every possible scenario where a yes or no question could be asked. She decided that classroom questions should be discarded, knowing that there could always be a yes to some of them. She also decided that any question asked over food should be discarded, for similar reasons. One by one, she thought of a scenario then threw it into her mental trashcan, not needing them. Finally, it came down to two scenarios: a deathbed and a sleepover. She decided, for the sake of the first years around her, to go with the less morbid of the two. She walked back to the knocker and asked, "Are you asleep yet?"

The knocker answered, "Precisely," and opened the door.

Gladly, Arden entered first, and ran up the stairs to the girls' dorms.

She was greeted by a hug from Mary, "Arden I'm SO glad you're here! I'm having trouble with the History of Magic essay, cam you pretty please help?"

Confused, she asked, "Where's Seo? Weren't you two working on it together?" She pulled back from the hug and placed her homework on her bed.

"She left before we finished it…We sort of got into an argument…"

"Over what?"

Mary’s expression turned serious, "Don't get angry or anything, but it was over you."

"What about me could possibly cause the two of you to fall out?" Arden commented, organizing her essays, noted, books to coordinate with her new Quidditch-Free schedule.

"Well," Marietta answered from behind her, "Seo seems to think that you’re going to turn dark…”

Arden's brows furrowed, "What?"  
Mary, irritably, sighed before continuing, "She seems to think that all of your reading is actually research for future actions and that you’re convincing people that you’re a good person when you’re actually not. And she thinks...Ugh, I don’t want to say it.”

"What does she think?" Arden prompted, growing more irritated.

"Seo thinks that you’ve brainwashed Cedric and those Weasley boys into your first followers," she rushed to get out, “I told her that she was being crazy, and she seems to think that you’ve somehow brainwashed me as well.” 

Arden took a deep, calming, breath, and said, “Let her believe whatever she wants to believe. I thought we had finished with this whole situation last term, but if she wants to belabor upon it, then let her stress herself out. I have too much on my hands to care for how she perceives me.” She turned to face her bed, and went back to mentally debating over putting Charms or Astronomy first in her new schedule.

Mary nodded, though Arden didn’t see it, “How are you doing, by the way? You seemed really stressed yesterday.”

“I still am, but I’m dealing with it.”

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

In an abandoned classroom, Arden sat in front of Cedric, two of Hogwarts' owls sitting on the desks in front of them. Arden had gotten both Minnie's and Flitwick's permission to use the owls for practice.

"Ok, repeat after me," Arden instructed her pupil, "Vera Verto."

"Veira Virto," Cedric mispronounced.

She shook her head, "Ced, less enunciation on the vowels, concentrate more on the consonants," she repeated, "Vera Verto."

"Vera Verto," Cedric properly pronounced.

Arden's amber eyes beamed happily at his progress, "Perfect, now we add in the wand movements." She held up her hornbeam wand and, sharply, tapped one of the owls three times, "One, two, three," she counted each time. Cedric mimicked her actions, albeit a bit less confidently. But, his actions were acceptable, Arden deemed. "Now you just add the incantation," Arden instructed, and demonstrated, "One, two, three," she counted aloud, "Vera Verto," and the owl transformed into a beautiful crystal water goblet. "Your turn," Arden said, watching him carefully.

Cedric took a steadying breath, raised his wand and tapped the owl sharply three times, counting like Arden did, "Vera Verto," he said, his owl transformed into a much more simple water goblet. But, Arden knew that Minnie would accept his transformation as successful.

"Well done, Cedric!" Arden praised, happy with his progress. In class, he hadn't been able to rid his animal of its skin.

"Thanks, I couldn't have done it without you," he gave her a one-armed hug, ruffling her hair playfully with his free hand.

Arden knocked his hand away, and reverted the owls to their original state, giving them each an owl pellet in thanks. "So, now that that's out of the way, think you can handle the essay on your own?" Arden asked, standing up to open a window, letting the owls leave.

The Hufflepuff scratched the back of his neck nervously, "Yeah, but would you mind looking it over before I turn it in?"

She nodded, "Sure, but make sure it's not an hour before class, alright? Give me a day at least."

He chucked, "Won't you ever let me live that down?"

The brunette shook her head, "Never. You'll be hearing about that until you die, Cedric Diggory."

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Upon entering her Potions class, it seemed as though Snape had decided to be a bit harsher on everyone that day. He lectured them on every possible effect of the Wiggenweld Potion, and then gave them an unreasonably short amount of time to brew it. Even the best Potions Master needed at least an hour to brew it, but he gave them less than forty-five minutes.

As he walked around, he had made snide comments to every single student in the room, likely because their class consisted of Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws. When he reached Arden, who was just about to start adding her lionfish spines to the brew, he said that her lionfish spine pieces were too large, and to cut them at a centimeter smaller. She obliged, knowing that he was just trying to avoid having someone's cauldrons explode, which she had heard happened on an almost daily basis in the new First Year Gryffindor-Slytherin classes.

Luckily, by the time Snape had told them to start cleaning up, Arden's potion had just turned the right shade of bright emerald green.

With Potions being her final class of the day, until that night for Astronomy, Arden practically skipped up to her dorm to put her things down and start homework. She wanted to get as much done as possible before dinner. She had already completed her Care of Magical Creatures assignment at lunch, and was halfway through her next translation passage for Ancient Runes. While she worked on it, Seo stuck her hand into Arden's line of sight.

"Need something?" Arden asked, slightly irritated at her interruption.

"You never told anyone why you're quitting Quidditch," she said simply.

Arden groaned, "Seo, I did. My godmother got worried for my health, so she said to lay off of extracurricular activities until she was confident that I could handle having three extra classes. That's all. Can I get back to my homework now?"

Seo shook her head, "I don't think that's the real reason."

"What's the real reason, then, Seo?"

"You just want more time with your evil books."

Arden shook her head, not wishing to argue over something so inconsequential, "Whatever you say, Seo."

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

By the time the Halloween Feast was nearly upon them, Fred, George, Lee, and Arden were ready to prank Dumbledore. The potion was perched on one of the many rafters in the entrance hall corridor, specifically, the right-hand side. The twins had flown up there early that morning. All they had to do was wait. The potion's effects would last for a full twenty-four hours, more than enough time to display their pranking prowess to the entire school (specifically the new first-years). They had a reputation to uphold and, not having done a large-scale prank all year, this was their way of saying that they still had it. They decided that a Saturday would be the best day to do it, seeing as how no one would be distracted by classes.

The stage was set, keeper at the goal post, seekers on mark, beaters at bat, and chasers ready, all that they needed was the quaffle to be thrown and the snitch to be released…metaphorically speaking. Fred and George were sat in the rafters, the potion sat to their right in an open glass beaker. 

Almost ten minutes into their wait, he finally appeared. Garbed in his favorite royal purple robes, black dragon-hide boots, and his silver beard tucked into his silver belt buckle. Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore waltzed down the corridor like he owned the place (which he practically did). They waited until he was just turning the corner to walk down where they were sat before grabbing the potion. When he did, Fred held the flask carefully and, with practiced ease, aimed and poured the yellow potion onto his head. Success.

The potion took effect almost instantly. His hairs trembled, especially visible in his beard and long hair, before turning into various flora; daisies, violets, petunias, lilies, lavender, and even some that Arden had never seen before.

After the transformation had taken place, the old man laughed, knowing what had happened. Thankfully he had a great sense of humor and mischief, Arden thought as she ran over from behind the column she had hid behind. He turned to face her, his eyelashes having been turned to bluets and eyebrows into bush honeysuckle. Arden giggled, causing Albus to laugh as well.

"I must commend you, Misters Weasley, and Mister Jordan on a job well done," he praised after their giggle-fest subsided, "I didn't suspect a thing."

Arden beamed in pride, as the twins flew down from the rafters. “So, we’re not in trouble?” The boys asked simultaneously.

The older wizard gestured with his hands, “I think I shall overlook it this once. Besides, I think these flowers go rather well with my outfit, don’t you?” He smiled, before continuing on to the Great Hall.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

After their meal, Arden and the boys met up in the library to finish their assignment for Care of Magical Creatures. Well, more that the boys needed to finish and Arden was there to help if need be. She had picked up a romance novel, written in Ancient Runes, as a study material for her class…and if it helped her figure out what to do with her feelings for Fred, that was purely a bonus. A question from Lee pulled her out of the book. "What do you think, Arden?" Lee asked, assuming that the witch was listening to him.

"I'm sorry, what?" she questioned.

"Merlin, Arden, weren't you listening? We were talking about Harry Potter, he's gotten awfully close to Fred and George's little brother, Ron."

"What about him?"

"Well what do you think of him?" Lee inquired.

Arden shrugged, "I don't know. I talked to him on the train and he seems like a normal kid."

George prodded, "You aren't in awe that the savior of the wizarding world is our housemate?"

"Well who says that he's the savior and not the next dark lord? Maybe Voldemort," the three boys gasped, but Arden continued, "knew that Harry would be more powerful than him and wanted to solidify his place before Harry got too strong. Can you think of another motive for him killing a half-blood when his targets were Muggle-borns and Muggles?"

Fred said, "You seem to have put a lot of thought into this, but I doubt that Harry's evil. He's in Gryffindor!"

Arden raised one eyebrow, "And that makes a difference? Sirius Black was in Gryffindor too, you know."

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

A few days later found Arden eying Harry cautiously from the Ravenclaw table. After her conversation with her boys, she had upped the amount of time she spent analyzing his behavior. She wasn't stalking him, per say, just making sure he wasn't evil. So far, he seemed to keep up that innocent, stupid kid, act. Except for the previous night, when he, Ron, Hermione, and Neville were all out past curfew in the third floor corridors. They had encountered Hagrid's three-headed dog, Fluffy. Arden knew Fluffy, having spent quite a bit of time with the beast and his owner in the past. The dog took a liking to her, mostly because she always had a song in her head and would hum when she was helping Hagrid care for him. She didn't feel the need to tell anyone of the first years' adventure yet, if anything came to pass, she was going to straight to Dumbledore.

The loud flutter of wings pulled her out of her thoughts, the mail had arrived. She looked up, searching for the owl she had sent out the previous week, replying to a letter she had received from Ginny. The poor girl was head over heels for Harry, and she hadn't spoken two words to the boy. Instead, she saw a flock of six owls carrying a rather large package to one Harry James Potter, in a very familiar shape. She had heard of his knack for flying from Minnie, taking after his father in that aspect. From what she knew, he had caught a remembrall in midair on one of the ratty old school brooms and pulled out of a sharp dive with little to no effort. She had to admit, that did sound rather impressive. Word of his talent had yet to spread around the school, and Minnie wanted to keep it that way, until Gryffindor's first game of the year, that is. But, if that was true, then why send him a package that was clearly a broom?

She didn't really care that Minnie had gotten Harry a broom, it was her money that she earned to do with as she wished. Sure, Arden was her goddaughter (practically her actual daughter, as she had raised Arden), but Harry was the son of her friends and a member of her house. Minerva McGonagall was nothing, if not a mother. She was a lioness who would do anything to protect her cubs and ensure their happiness. Harry was one of her cubs, so he got treated just the same.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Weeks later and it was finally Arden's favorite day of the school year, Halloween. She was practically dancing in her bed when she awoke to the delicious smell of baking pumpkin wafting throughout the entire castle. She looked at her bedside table and found a little orange and black basket, about the size of a coffee mug, overflowing with candies. Tied to the handle with bronze ribbon was a note.

" _Happy Halloween, Arden._

_-Professor Flitwick_ "

Professor Flitwick gave every member of Ravenclaw a basket of treats every year. Arden would argue to say that he was the most parent-like of all of the Head of Houses. Minnie was definitely the stricter parent that you would never anger, or suffer her wrath. Flitwick was the parent that would give you anything you want if it made you happy. Heck, if you were feeling down, stressed, or what-have you, he would pull you into his office and make the biscuits in a tin under his desk dance for you, and even let you eat some. Arden didn't know what Snape or Sprout did for their respective houses, but she knew that Snape favored Slytherin in his classes.

Arden carried her basket of treats down to breakfast, eager to show off to her non-Ravenclaw friends and not let them have a bite.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

"The Lapifors Spell transfigures an object into a rabbit," McGonagall lectured, drawing a diagram on the chalkboard.

Arden broke her attention from the lecture and looked around, finding Seo and Mary not paying attention, gossiping with a group of Hufflepuffs in the back, as per usual, and Cedric looking completely lost. She sighed, resting her chin on the palm of her hand. She would be teaching three people a simple spell, undoubtedly. Seo and Mary preferred Arden's notes to their own, and socializing to studying. How they got into Ravenclaw, Arden was clueless.

"There is a box of crickets on each table. I'd like you to take one out and turn it into a rabbit, using the Lapifors Spell," Minerva instructed.

Arden let the Hufflepuff at her table, Stebbins, take his cricket out first. She took out her own, a rather large one, just about half of her pinky in length, and set it on the table. The brown insect, surprisingly, didn't attempt to hop away, which only helped her in casting the spell.

Taking out her wand, she moved her arm in sharp, quick, movements (similar to a rabbit's, she noted) and uttered, "Lapifors." The cricket froze, growing larger and furrier before her eyes, finally assuming the form of a lop-eared hare. It had brown spots randomly dotted over its, primarily white, body. The hare seemed scared, but unable to move. Arden knew the next thing to do, as she picked up her wand, she pointed it to random points in the room. The hare followed her wand's movements, causing the entire class to watch as it did pirouettes in midair.

"Well done, Miss Greyson," Minnie commented, a rare smile gracing her features. "I want a two foot parchment on the history and uses of this spell, include diagrams."

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Herbology that afternoon was irritating. They were gathering Puffapod seedpods for Snape's supplies. She had gotten a bit too close to Lee's Puffapod and his started flowering, earning her a ten-minute lecture from Professor Sprout.

On her way back to Ravenclaw Tower, Arden decided to stop off in Moaning Myrtle's bathroom. Myrtle was an interesting ghost, to say the least. She didn't seem to realize all of the fun she could be having, like Peeves. Peeves, though not actually a ghost, was one of her favorite of the Hogwarts Permanent Residents (as she liked to call them). He knew how to have a good time, which, she assumed, was to be expected of a Poltergeist. Fred, George, and Lee had a deep respect for this pranking maestro. Arden did as well. But, she also found him annoying. Like when he knocked over bookshelves in the library around her, causing her to get a week's ban from Madam Pince; or the time that he tried to drop a chandelier on her head in Second Year; or the time that he woke her up by screeching in her ear in First Year; she could go on and on.

More to the point, she did find Myrtle interesting. She never revealed how she died. Unlike the other ghosts, who had some form of mar on their forms, showing how they died, but Myrtle seemed completely intact. The reason for Arden's visit to the teen-ghost was simply out of undying curiosity as to the ghost's history. The other ghosts, save for the Grey Lady, all seemed to love reminiscing about their lives and sharing their experiences with the students, often times offering advice and pearls of wisdom. Arden had yet to hear any positive stories of Myrtle, and wanted to know more about the youngest ghost at Hogwarts.

She opened the doors to the first floor girls' lavatory and was greeted with the familiar sound of sobbing, or…she expected to, at least. Instead, Arden heard unfamiliar sniffles coming from a different stall.

Myrtle swooped out of her toilet and sighed, "Not here for me, I expect."

"Actually, I was," she said, causing Myrtle to visibly perk up, "But, before I get to that, is she ok?" Arden gestured over to the occupied stall.

Myrtle shook her head, "Some boy was speaking rudely about her, and she overheard." Arden shook her head; people could be so rude. "I think she said it was that young Weasley boy…" the ghost trailed off, "Ron, was it?"

"Ron…" Arden mused, walking to the door of the stall, "Hermione, is that you?"

"Go away, Arden!" she demanded, indirectly confirming that it was the bushy-haired first-year in the process.

"Hermione-"

"I don't want to talk about it, ok?" she spat.

“Hermione,” Arden persisted, “Talk to me.” The first year seemed keen on ignoring her. “Well, when you do want to talk about what happened, I’ll be an open ear.” She turned to Myrtle, “I guess my questions for you will have to wait for another day. I figure you’ll want this to be a private conversation.”

 

Later on that day, Arden was sitting in her dorm with Seo and Mary.

"According to the book, there are three benefits to the Lapifors spell," Mary said, sitting on the floor with her back against Arden's bed. Cho was lying on her stomach next to her, quill in hand and parchment in front of her.

"So, this is a standard five paragraph essay?" Seo asked, twirling her ostrich feather quill mindlessly.

"Looks like it," Arden commented, "So, the first use is distraction or entertainment?"

Mary nodded, "Second is surveillance."

Seo added, "Third is target practice?"

"That about covers it," Mary confirmed.

For the next two hours, the girls wrote their essays, cross-referencing with one another as needed. Arden, however, only had her roommates grammar check her essay, confident in her essay, as she had her notes from class with her. Seo and Mary only used the book for their information, not knowing that Minerva had covered everything from that section of the book in class and had added her own notes to the lecture.

When it was time for dinner, a bell rang out in Ravenclaw Tower, alerting its residents that they should probably go eat something. This had been implemented in the last couple centuries, after a student nearly starved to death because he was so immersed in his own side project.

The third year girls calmly walked downstairs, not wanting to have to fight their way through the throng of students into the Great Hall. They knew what the decorations looked like, as their Head of House was part of the decoration committee, so there was no need to get there too quickly. While they walked, they conversed about the next essay they were going to tackle, which happened to be History of Magic. They had a four-foot parchment on the Witch Hunting Tactics most commonly used in various parts of the world.

"So, I think that if each of us researches and outlines certain countries, we can get this essay done much faster," Seo pointed out.

"Yes, but I'd prefer to do my own research for this essay," Arden stated, "I find some details important that others tend to skip over."

"Are you doubting our researching capabilities?" Seo accused, "I get that you think that you're super smart and all, Arden, but your whole 'Greater than Thou' attitude is starting to get on my nerves."

Arden stopped at the bottom of the main staircase, outside the entrance to the Great Hall. She was face to face with Seo, "I'm not saying that, I'm simply stating that I see the value in the little details that are often glazed over by the general populous. You're the one putting words in my mouth."

Seo shoved her, "Don't you start with me, Ms. 'I read Dark Magic books for fun'!"

Arden scoffed, "What about you, Ms. 'I showcase my flying skills instead of catching the snitch'!"

"You have no room to talk, abandoning the team like you did!"

"It was for health reasons and you know it!"

"Oh, health reasons, of course, that's funny because you seem perfectly fine to me."

Mary stepped back, away from the catfight. Arguments between Seo and Arden had become increasingly more common as of late. Before, they would only happen once every few months, but now they occurred on an almost weekly basis.

"What's going on here?" Professor Snape emerged from the shadows, Professor Sprout on his heels with a list in her hands.

Arden and Seo separated. Seo was looking at the Slytherin with trepidation, Arden just mimicked his expression, as she often did.

"Nothing of concern, Professor," Seo said respectfully. She shot Arden eye daggers and pulled Mary into the hall with her.

Professor Sprout glanced at her fellow Head of House and then to Arden. "We can finish our discussion over dinner, Severus," she noted, and shuffled into the Great Hall.

Snape looked at the brunette teen expectantly, " Follow me," and lead her into one of the unused classrooms down the hall. Closing the door behind them, he said, "I assume you aren't going to tell me what occurred?"

Arden sighed, "Seo was picking an argument with me because I'd prefer to do research for this big paper we have due in History of Magic on my own."

"Why did you retaliate?"

"Because she insulted me and it got me riled up."

"And that makes it alright?"

The teen looked at her feet, "No," and then trained her eyes on his dark ones, "But she started it!"

Snape ran his hand down his face, a remarkable feat, Arden noted, due to his large hooked nose, and shook his head, "Am I really hearing that ridiculous excuse from you?"

Arden said, "But-"

Snape held up his hand, "I don't want to hear that it's true. You're mature, so act like it. Right now, I see a thirteen year old acting like she's eleven."

Arden looked back at her feet sheepishly, "Yes, sir. Can I go to the feast now?" Snape gestured to the door, and Arden took that as her invitation to leave. She walked over to the Ravenclaw Table and sat away from her roommates, hoping to enjoy the food without interruption from Seo. She sat near a girl named Padma Patil, who was in her First Year. The two became friends, of sorts. Padma seemed to be more interested in her classes than extracurricular activities.

Arden turned her attention to the decorum, as she ate her dinner. Jack O' Lanterns were hung by the hundreds around the Hall; on the walls, floating near the ceiling, set on the tables, even replacing every candle along the walls. Numerous live bats flew from the walls and ceiling while a thousand more dove over the tables in dark clouds, causing the candles in the pumpkins to flutter. The enchanted ceiling showed a clear night sky, stars winking at them from the heavens, only obstructed by the occasional cloud. It was a full moon, gorgeous but ominous at the same time; also, horrible for any werewolf that night.

Her train of thought was derailed by Professor Quirrell, whom came sprinting into the hall, his turban askew and terror on his face. Everyone stared as he reached Professor Dumbledore's chair, slumped against the table, and gasped, "Troll - in the dungeons - thought you ought to know." He then, unceremoniously, passed out in a dead faint.

There was an uproar. It took several purple firecrackers exploding from the end of Dumbledore's wand to bring silence. "Prefects," he announced, "lead your Houses back to the dormitories immediately!"

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

The next day found Arden in the library with Cedric. They were practicing the Lapifors Spell, as Cedric's best attempt in class was a slightly larger cricket with bunny ears instead of antenna.

"You have to swish your wand like this," Arden held his hand and showed him manually, "Feel the difference?"

Cedric's ears turned a slight shade of pink, "Yeah." Arden noted the darker shade in his ears, but chalked it up to being embarrassed at his flaw.

The Ravenclaw put the cricket on the table, "Alright, try again."

Just as Cedric was about to cast the spell, a familiar, bushy haired, Gryffindor First Year walked up to Arden and Cedric. "Hey, Arden, can I talk to you?" Hermione asked, sheepishly.

"'Course, Hermione," she turned to her pupil, "You try it a few times while I'm gone."

Cedric gave her a mock salute, "Yes, Ma'am"

She rolled her eyes, "Typical Hufflepuff."

The boy stuck his tongue out, "Overly critical Ravenclaw."

Arden made a face at him and followed Hermione out of Cedric's earshot. They sat on two of the comfiest armchairs in the far back corner of the library. Arden nodded at Hermione to start speaking. The younger girl shifted uncomfortably, "Well, I'd like to apologize for how I judged you and your friends on the train, and for how I treated you yesterday in the bathroom. Both were really disrespectful of me, and, after everything that happened yesterday, I realize that. So, I'm sorry."

"Thanks, Hermione, that really means a lot," Arden smiled.

Something seemed to occur to Hermione, "Oh, and I have your books," she started to dig around in her bag, until Arden stopped her.

"Why don't you hang on to them for me. I've already read them too many times. I think they'll be of more use to you."

"You sure?" Hermione seemed cautious.

"Positive."

"Alright, thank you." She smiled.

Arden sat forward, "So, now that we're on speaking terms again, mind telling me how you came to this epiphany?"

Hermione's eyes widened, "What do you mean?"

"Well," Arden started, "You said, 'after everything that happened yesterday' you came to realize that you were acting rudely. Was it what Ron said that made you realize that? Because I doubt it, I know Ron, he's a bit too narrow minded to comment on your behavior unless it effects him in some way."

Hermione blushed, "Well, you know how the troll got into the castle yesterday? It came into Myrtle's bathroom, and I was still in there…"

"You got attacked by a troll‽"

The younger witch nodded, "Yeah, then Harry and Ron saved me."

"Harry Potter and Ron Weasley saved you?" Arden clarified.

"Yeah, and then Professor McGonagall, Professor Snape, and Professor Quirrell found us. McGonagall chewed us out, but then gave us points for taking it on, and winning."

Arden smirked, Minnie certainly knew how to handle rowdy students. "Well, at least you're ok."

"Speaking of being ok, are we-"

"Yeah, we're ok."


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I DO NOT OWN HARRY POTTER OR ANY OF ITS CHARACTERS! I ONLY OWN MY OCS!
> 
> *is dead from people enjoying this thing, whatever it is*  
> HERE'S SOME HOLIDAY CHEER FOR Y'ALL IN THE MIDDLE OF SUMMER, DEAL WITH IT!
> 
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> Send me requests, or whatever! Give me a follow if you so choose, and I promise I'll follow back! I post updates on the fic's update status sometimes.
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November finally came around, and the weather was finally how Arden liked it, cold. She reveled in her ability to wear her Weasley jumper. The one Molly had given her last year was the same shade of blue as the Ravenclaw house colors, with an A knit in bronze. She wondered how Molly got them to be so warm. She wore it with pride whilst lounging around the castle, doing homework and reading.

Minnie had refused to allow her to play Quidditch, wanting her to wait a bit longer to rejoin the team. "You have ten classes, Arden," she chided one evening in her office, "The free time you say that you have should be delegated to relaxing."

So, as Arden had free time, she spent much more time in the library than could possibly be considered innately healthy. She finally had time to research more dark magic. So, it was back to scouring the library and Grandpa Albus' personal book collection for interesting reads. It was almost as if she was in her first year all over again. Sure, she longed to play Quidditch, but she had missed reading dearly.

 

The first Saturday of November was the start of the Quidditch season, and the first match of the year: Gryffindor versus Slytherin. Arden, of course, would be rooting for Gryffindor. As she ate breakfast, she noticed that Professor Snape walked into the Great Hall with a limp, quite unusual for a physically inactive man. She made a mental note to keep an eye on that.

While she nibbled on her toast, contemplating the multitude of ways that he could have injured his leg, the Mountain Troll on the forefront of her mind, "Arden!" a voice snapped her out of her thoughts. She spun, her dark brown hair flew behind her, and she locked eyes with Fred.

"Hey," she greeted, bits of toast crumbs escaping her mouth. She was so elegant. 

George came up behind his brother, "You better keep an eye on us out there. We've been training to kick Ravenclaw's butt this year!" they teased in synch.

Arden smirked, "You wish, Weasel Brains. Ravenclaw's going to dominate once again, prepare for utter obliteration," she easily declared, sipping her breakfast tea at the end for emphasis.

 

 

"And the Quaffle is taken immediately by Angelina Johnson of Gryffindor - what an excellent Chaser that girl is, and rather attractive, too -"

"JORDAN!"

"Sorry, Professor."

Arden giggled, Lee was doing the commentary for the match. She was astounded that Harry Potter, of all people, was the Seeker for the Gryffindor team. She knew that his father was a Chaser, from reading the plaques in the trophy hall. She kept an eye on how he played, analyzing his flying patterns.

"Adrian Pucey speeding off toward the goal posts, but he's blocked by a second Bludger - sent his way by Fred or George Weasley, can't tell which - nice play by the Gryffindor Beater, anyway, and Johnson back in possession of the Quaffle…"

Arden winced in sympathy for her friends. She watched as Fred glanced at George, their silent communication pattern honed over the years. She knew that they weren't going to do anything about it –they never did – but Lee not being able to tell who was who hurt them. He had been living with them for three years, and he still couldn’t tell. Arden was able to tell from day one. She sighed, being one of the few who could discern between the twins was painful at times, as she could see the inkling of anger beneath their smiles every time someone mistook one for the other. Then, they would brush off their separate identities as unimportant; as if the twins were just that, one unit and not two separate people.

As the match continued, the Slytherins played dirty, Flint nearly knocking Harry off of his broom being just one instance.

"So - after that obvious and disgusting bit of cheating-"

"Jordan!" growled Professor McGonagall.

"I mean, after that open and revolting foul-"

"Jordan, I'm warning you -"

"All right, all right. Flint nearly kills the Gryffindor Seeker, which could happen to anyone, I'm sure, so a penalty to Gryffindor, taken by Spinner, who puts it away, no trouble, and we continue play, Gryffindor still in possession."

Arden smiled, knowing how much Lee loved to test McGonagall's nerves. She had done that plenty of times throughout the years, herself; and it never ceased to amuse her.

As she turned her attention back to the sky, her heart dropped to her stomach. It looked as if Potter's broom was trying to buck him off. His broom gave a sudden, frightening lurch. He gripped the broom tightly with both his hands and knees. Arden knew that Flint couldn't have done that, no student could have. She looked towards the Professors' stands and saw Snape and Quirrell both muttering something below their breath. She knew that Snape had a lower tolerance for Gryffindor students, but he would never hurt anyone…physically speaking... She had a bad feeling about Quirrell for a while. She quickly surveyed her surroundings. It seemed as though no one was paying attention to her. She decided that she’d put a stop to Quirrell’s interference. 

Arden stood up and snuck her way behind the bleachers, weaving her way through the crowds and up behind the Potions and DADA professors. Yet, when she arrived, "Hermione, what are you doing?" she whispered.

The bushy-haired brunette flinched and turned around, "Hi, Arden, fancy seeing you here…" she replied, hastily putting her wand behind her back.

Arden quickly put the dots together, "Were you trying to cast a spell on Snape?" The first year knew she couldn't fool her, so she looked away. "It's Quirrell you have to worry about, not Snape. He's a good guy," she reassured.

"If he's such a good guy, then why is he jinxing Harry?"

Arden pinched the bridge of her nose, "He's not. He's counter jinxing Quirrell's jinx."

Hermione nodded, but her conviction held, "This should work regardless." She turned her attention back to where the edge of Snape's billowing black robes hung just below the bleachers. She muttered a spell almost inaudibly and blue flames shot out of the tip of her wand, starting a fire on Snape's robes. The two girls held hands and ran out of the stands before they could get caught.

Hermione let go and ran back to the Gryffindor stands, eager to watch the rest of the match. Arden, on the other hand, took her sweet time, knowing that Gryffindor would likely win. She finally made her way back to the Ravenclaw stands just in time to see Harry spit the Snitch out into his hands.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

**Several Weeks Later**

"Alright, when he comes around the corner, you know what to do," Fred reassured Arden, as she climbed out of a window on the seventh floor. 

She clambered to the roof of the school, relaxing when she found a stable place. Unraveling the map, she took out her wand, "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good." Arden then searched the map for their victim, Professor Quirrell. She saw that he was about to turn the corner, and fired off blue sparks from her wand.

Fred and George took note and spelled their snowballs just in time to beat the back of the newest professor's turban. The twins maneuvered him, skillfully into position.

Arden grinned, "Perfect. Iguamenti!" and aimed at all the snow that had piled on the roof of the castle, causing a slushalanche (as the twins liked to call it) to fall right on to their timid professor. Arden quickly tapped the map, "Mischief managed," and carefully climbed back inside before Quirrell could notice that she was there.

 

 

Later that day, the trio met up in the library for Arden to help the twins with their Transfiguration essay. While they were taking a writer’s cramp break, Arden decided to breach the topic of their upcoming Winter Holiday, "So, are you both going to the Burrow for the holidays?"

The twins exchanged a look and simultaneously said, "No, mum and dad are taking a trip to visit Charlie in Romania."

"But," George started.

"Mum is sending all of our presents with Errol," Fred continued.

George nudged Arden, "And by 'our' we do mean you as well. Mum wanted us to make sure you knew that.” Arden took mental note to send Molly and Arthur something as well.

Fred added, “She’s sending Harry something too, since Ron told her that they’re best friends now.”

“And Ginny is going to Romania with them," George trailed off.

"By the way, we will need your help sending our lovely baby sister her present," Fred mentioned.

Arden smirked, she could only imagine what they had up their sleeves this year.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

December brought with it drafty, icy corridors, bitter winds that rattled the large windows in Ravenclaw Tower, and the rest of the castle, during the day. They often distracted everyone to the point of taking to studying and performing experiments in the Great Hall. Needless to say, everyone bundled up in several layers when walking anywhere but in their respective houses. Arden and the Weasleys (well, everyone except for Percy) were glad for Molly Weasley's annual Christmas sweaters. They kept them warm and cozy between classes, and in Snape's meat-locker of a dungeon, where their breath rose in a mist before them and they kept as close as possible to their hot cauldrons.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Professor Bathsheda decided that, as it was their last class before the holiday, that she’d be nice and let everyone out early. So, Arden thought it’d be a good idea to have an early lunch. When she walked into the Great Hall for lunch that day, she stumbled upon an interesting sight. "Ah, Hagrid, the last tree - put it in the far corner, would you?" Minnie requested, focusing on charming the wreaths to be in just the right pattern.

The Great Hall looked spectacular. Festoons of holly and mistletoe hung all around the walls, and no less than twelve towering Christmas trees stood around the room, some sparkling with tiny icicles, some glittering with hundreds of candles. She smiled, looking around the room and taking it all in. She could practically taste the holiday cheer. She mentally checked the date, yes, she reminded herself, Hanukkah started that night. She’d have to get her Channukiah, Hanukkah candles, Muggle matches, and Sidur out of her trunk. Should she invite the twins? Was it ok to invite them? She was sure it had to be, as bringing anyone to your Shabbat dinner or Passover Seder was a mitzvah. She’d invite them for the lighting of the candles, she decided. 

She was brought out of her thoughts by a familiar baritone grumble, "…until yer holidays?" Arden turned her attention to Hagrid, walking to the corner Minnie designated earlier with the tree; Harry, Ron, and Hermione trailing after him.

"Just one," said Hermione, "And that reminds me – Harry, Ron, we've got half an hour before lunch, we should be in the library." Arden focused in on their conversation. Why would they need to be in the library? No assignments were due until after the start of term. 

"Oh yeah, you're right," said Ron, tearing his eyes away from Professor Flitwick, who had golden bubbles blossoming out of his wand and was trailing them over the branches of the new tree.

"The library?" said Hagrid, following them out of the hall, "Just before the holidays? Bit keen, aren't yeh?" Arden mentally agreed.

"Oh, we're not working," Harry informed the half-giant smugly, "Ever since you mentioned Nicolas Flamel we've been trying to find out who he is."

"You what?" Hagrid looked shocked, "Listen here – I've told yeh – drop it. It's nothin' to you what that dog's guardin'."

"We just want to know who Nicolas Flamel is, that's all," said Hermione. Arden knew who he was. Should she tip them off?

"Unless you'd like to tell us and save us the trouble?" Harry added, "We must've been through hundreds of books already and we can't find him anywhere – just give us a hint – I know I've read his name somewhere."

"I'm sayin' nothin," said Hagrid flatly.

"Just have to find out for ourselves, then," said Ron, and they left a disgruntled Hagrid and hurried off to the library. Arden followed, knowing that Hermione would need the help sooner or later. 

She pulled out the Maurauders’ Map and took a shortcut to the library that she was sure the first years wouldn’t know about. She arrived first, and decided to get started on her Ancient Runes essay, better to get it over with. After seeing the state of the Hall, she knew that having anything other than an early dinner was unlikely. She decided to occupy the armchair closest to the crackling fireplace. She pulled out the passage that Professor Bathsheda had assigned. It was from the early 20th century B.C. relating to some form of early charms work. She and her classmates were to translate and analyze it. She was prepared to start translating, already having mastered beyond the basics, but quickly came to the conclusion that she needed reference material. She stood up, leaving her bag in her seat to save it, and went to gather her material…and she may have also picked up a retelling of Sonnets of a Sorcerer; not cursed in the least, and simply analyzed and informed of everything discussed in the book's cursed pages.

As she sat back in her spot, she saw Hermione clutching a list in her hand. 

The first year saw the third year brunette and stopped in her path. Surely Arden would know something having to do with Nicholas Flamel! She'd likely read through half the library by now! Determined to find out exactly who this Flamel character was, Hermione strode up to the Ravenclaw.

"Afternoon, Arden!" Hermione greeted, standing off to the side of the coffee table Arden had chose to take over. "Sorry for bothering you, but I need to ask you something," Hermione shifted her weight from one foot to the other, looking nervous. But, Arden knew better.

"What do you need?" She decided to play along and see where this went.

"Do you know of a Nicholas Flamel?"

Arden knew that her Grandpa Albus was good friends with Mr. Flamel, he mentioned the centuries old alchemist and his wife on a multitude of occasions throughout her childhood. "Yes I do, what do you need to know about him?"

The Gryffindor grinned, practically vibrating in excitement, "Who is he, and why does he sound so familiar?" Hermione inquired, "I know I've read something about him somewhere!"

Arden smirked, knowing exactly where and what Hermione read. She leaned back into the chair and hummed, "Well…I won't tell you everything, but I will tell you where to look."

Hermione's excited expression fell to one of frustration and disappointment, "Why not just tell me?"

"Because then you won't get that amazing feeling of self-satisfaction and excitement when you do finally find your answer," the older witch answered easily. "Now, you'll want to look-"

 

 

As soon as sundown hit, Arden was outside of the Ravenclaw Common Room entrance with the twins. She had set the Channukiah on the closest windowsill, and set the Shamash candle and the first candle on the right-hand side in their places. The twins watched on as she lit a match, and then the Shamash. She took the Shamash in her hand, and lit the other candle with it as she started singing, “ _Baruch atah, Adonai Eloheinu, Melech haolam, shehecheyanu v'kiy'manu v'higianu laz'man hazeh_.”

Fred and George were uncharacteristically serious, watching their friend partake in something they could experience, but not fully connect to. They had known she was Jewish, she was proud of that fact, but they had not ever taken the time to understand what that means. They had assumed Hanukkah was similar to Christmas. But, they hadn’t known it was actually a war story, mixed with people trying to convert others to their beliefs, and ended in a miracle. It intrigued them that such a happy holiday could come from something so tragic. 

“Amen,” Arden concluded the prayers for the night, and opened the little box she brought with her from the kitchens. She pulled out three of the five sufganiyot she had the elves make for her. Two were for Minnie and Grandpa Albus (she was having tea with them later). She offered one to each of the twins, which they gratefully took, and bit into hers. 

“Sho,” Fred asked around a mouth full of sufganiyah, “Why oo ee ‘ave oo eah ohmuts ahaim?” 

“Freddie, please swallow before speaking. I can’t understand you,” Arden requested.

George translated, “He’s asking why we have to eat donuts.” He finished, and proceeded to lick some powdered sugar off of his lips.

“Oh, it’s because they’re fried in oil. It’s a mitzvah to eat things fried in oil on Hanukkah because the miracle is all about how this Temple had to be rededicated, but they only had enough oil to keep the menorah lit for one night, but it lasted for eight instead. That gave them enough time to distil more oil and keep the eternal flame lit. So, we light one candle for each night the oil burned, and eat fried foods,” she explained. She took another bite of her sufganiyah, enjoying the raspberry jam on the inside. 

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

The next day, Fred, George, and Arden had just, successfully, pulled off their final prank of the semester. They had caused Madam Pince to go mute for the next several hours. Arden and the twins had come up with a candy that caused the consumer to go silent. After consumption, the effects are gradual, but cause the person to completely lose their voice within a period of one hour. Following the success of testing it out on the twins, they had decided to try it out on the shrillest member of the staff. Madam Pince was, more often than not, the loudest person in the library. Arden and the twins brought her the candy as an "early Christmas present". She immediately consumed it, much to their delight, and they ran for it before she could notice the effects.

Out of breath from sprinting across the castle, Arden made it to the bronze knocker that let her into her House. Unsurprisingly, a small group students, clad in blue and bronze, were stood around the entrance, pondering. Arden sighed, knowing the drill. Sometimes, she hated how one gets into the Tower. It was fun…for the first few hours of first year. But, it got annoying quickly. She'd never heard the same riddle twice, nor had anyone else, to her knowledge. More than once, she'd be stuck outside for hours before someone else came along to help her solve the riddle in question.

"We hurt without moving. We poison without touching. We bear the truth and the lies. We are not to be judged by our size. What are we?" the melodic voice of the Eagle Knocker sung.

She took a step back, as was polite, and really thought about it. Something that poisons, hurts, and tells truth and lies…Size was a factor that she had to disregard. As they spoke truth and lies, she threw out animals, but hurts without moving and poisons without touching…so it had to be something metaphysical….Of course…

She walked back to the knocker and answered, "Words."

The Eagle replied, "Quite right, Milady," and opened the door, allowing everyone entrance.

"Oh, Arden," Seo called from across the common room, "Come over here!" She was sitting at one of the bar-height tables near the windows with Mary. Their bags packed and surrounding them in the organized chaos that they had grown accustomed to over the past two-and-a-half years. Arden squeezed past their bags and hopped up on one of the chairs. "Mary and I have been talking. Since you're staying here and both of our families are taking vacations this year, we thought that we'd give you our presents now."

Arden cocked her head in confusion. Mary explained, "Well, my family is taking a trip to Geneva, and Seo’s is visiting family in Asia. So it'd be a bit cruel to have owls fly all that way with packages, you see."

She nodded and hopped off the chair to fetch her roommates their presents.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Arden was awoken with a sneeze, more specifically her own. Mercutio apparently thought that it'd be funny to leave his tail below her nose. She shoved him, gently, off of her chest and stretched, before realizing what day it was. Christmas day had finally arrived, as well as the final day of Hanukkah. Arden decided, since both holidays coincided that year, to save all of her presents for the final day.

She quickly got dressed in her new Weasley sweater and ran over to Gryffindor Tower, where she was met with a rather interesting scene. Fred and George (dressed in each other's Weasley sweaters) were frog-marching Percy from the common room, his arms pinned to his side by his new Weasley sweater.

Arden giggled, "Greetings, Gred and Forge. Morning, Percy." She caught the brothers' attention.

"Arden!" the twins smiled, "Happy Last Day of Hanukkah!"

Percy was pleading to her with his eyes to help him out. She decided to oblige, "Don't I get a holiday morning hug from my friends?"

The twins shook their heads, "Not until we get this one to sit with us at breakfast!" George commented, nudging his older brother with an elbow. "Speaking of…" he trailed off, looking at Fred.

"You should join us, Arden! You're family too!" Fred continued, "Help us get our brother to the Great Hall, will you?"

 

After breakfast, Arden, Harry, and the Weasleys had a furious snowball fight that definitely rivaled the one from her first year, with Charlie and Lee, for the title of Best Snowball Fight ever. Afterwards, cold, wet, and gasping for breath, the group split, the boys to Gryffindor Tower, Arden to her secret nook, to warm up. Mercutio, the ever protective feline, followed Arden into the room and warmed her feet while she read and completed her History of Magic essay.  
While she was in private, she decided to think on her investigation of Harry to the current point in time. All in all, he seemed like a good kid. She trusted the twins judgments of people, and they said that he seemed like a good kid. But, they might be biased because he was friends with their brother. But, from her impression of him, he was still teetering on good and not so good…well she'd call it interesting. He seemed suspicious of Snape, which is valid for someone who is in a house he disliked and carries the surname and features of someone he despised. But, thinking that Snape was evil? Arden thought that maybe he was using that as a cover to his own psyche. Maybe Harry was projecting his own villainous thoughts to Snape's actions? She'd have to look further into it.

 

 

Upon the sun finally setting, Arden set up all nine candles in her menorah. The twins insisted on being present. Word apparently got around and Percy decided to join them. So, as she couldn't bring them into Ravenclaw Tower, and they couldn't let her into Gryffindor Tower, she brought the Channukiah and candles into the corridor outside of Ravenclaw Tower.

While they looked on, she picked up the Shamash and carefully lit it with a match, lighting the rest of the candles with it from right to left. She sung the prayers as she did so, and concluded by placing the Shamash back in its rightful place.

 

That night, Arden could confirm that she'd never had a more eventful Christmas/Holiday dinner. A hundred fat, roast turkeys; mountains of roast and boiled potatoes; platters of sausages; tureens of buttered peas, silver boats of thick, rich gravy and cranberry sauce, so many other dishes that Arden could feel the food coma just by looking at them– and stacks of wizard crackers every few feet along the table. Arden looked on as Harry pulled a wizard cracker with Fred and it didn't just bang, it went off with a blast like a cannon and engulfed them all in a cloud of blue smoke, while from the inside exploded a rear admiral's hat and several live, white mice. She pulled one with Percy, much to the older boy's dismay, it went off like a deaf-trumpeter and covered their faces in confetti. It did release a jester hat, complete with rainbow bells, sparkles, and bobbles, and several noise makers. She took great pleasure and sneaking the hat onto Fred when he wasn't looking. Up at the High Table, Dumbledore had swapped his pointed wizard's hat for a lovely flowered bonnet, and was chuckling merrily at a joke Professor Flitwick had just read him.

Flaming Christmas puddings followed the rich dinner. Percy nearly broke his teeth on a silver sickle that George embedded in his slice. While the adults were getting more and more intoxicated, the students all watched Hagrid getting redder and redder in the face as he called for more wine, finally kissing Professor McGonagall on the cheek, who, to everyone's amazement, giggled and blushed, her top hat lopsided. Arden would NEVER let her live that down.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Arden stood up from the purple couch in her little private alcove and stretched her back out, satisfied with herself for burning through the entirety of Heart of Darkness. Though it was a muggle book, it was a fascinating read. She checked the old clock on top of the fireplace mantle, it read just past one in the morning. She was shocked; she got so absorbed in the book that she completely forgot about curfew.

Hastily, she pulled out the map. "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good," she whispered, tapping her wand to the parchment. No matter how much of a rush she was in, Arden would never tire of watching the ink trail across the map, its black tendrils drawing intricate patterns before revealing all to her. She checked the trail that she usually took to get to and from the hidden room behind the Founders Portrait. Filch and Ms. Norris blocked it off. "Bugger," Arden swore. She would have to take the detour past the library…

"Hold on a second…" Arden muttered, focusing in on a dot moving towards the library. The name around the dot read, 'Harry J. Potter' and was moving quickly down the stairs, past where Arden's dot rested in her little safe haven, and towards the library. "What is Harry doing up so late…?" The Ravenclaw mused. She knew that the library, save for Filch, would be unguarded. The professors only checked the hallways on their nightly rounds. If Arden could sneak into the library, she might finally be able to finish her self-imposed Harry Stalking assignment and confirm if he was, in fact, an evil wizard hell-bent on finishing what Voldemort started or if he was just a normal kid.

Arden kept the map handy as she slowly opened the portrait hole, checking in all directions for any professor or member of staff. After conforming that no professor would impede her on her trek, Arden clambered out of the doorway and shut it behind her. She quickly made her way down the stairs, keeping her eyes half focused on the map and half focused in front of her. Upon reaching the first floor landing, Arden noted that Trelawney and Dumbledore were making their way down the hall. Hiding Heart of Darkness behind a suit of armor, Arden quickly dove behind a pillar and held her breath as she watched them get closer and closer to her.

"…And exactly five years from this upcoming spring, I foresaw a tragedy unlike any other befall Hogwarts!" Trelawney informed Dumbledore, whom the eavesdropping third year could tell was attempting to be civil with Sibyll.

Arden noted that Trelawney was a very thin woman. The large, thick glasses she wore magnified her eyes to several times their natural size. Like most female professors on patrol, she wore a dressing gown; but unlike those that Arden had seen, hers was loud and very dynamically designed. Its intricate swirling patterns were almost hypnotizing. Oranges, pastel pinks, greens, yellows, and reds swirled in spirals along the torso, danced into floral shapes along the arms and neckline, exploded into stripes on the shoulders, Arden thought that she might be sick from watching it move with her.

"I shall take that into account. Thank you for informing me, Sibyll," Albus, nearly robotically, droned. Arden couldn't help but smile at the slight cynically condescending undertone in his voice. She knew that he begrudgingly had to accept Divination as truth; he really wished that he didn't believe in it. His bright blue eyes flickered back and forth along the hallway whilst Trelawney rambled on and on about how he should really visit her for a foretelling of his immediate future. "Tell me, Sibyll, have you Seen the outcome of the House Cup this year?" Albus inquired casually. It seemed as though he hadn’t detected her presence.

Trelawney replied in that soft-spoken, melodic voice that made all of the non-believing students fall asleep, "Of course, it shall be Hufflepuff…"

The remainder of their conversation was unimportant to Arden as they walked around the corner and further down the hall. She checked the map, it seemed that no one was coming her way, and snuck into the library. Harry was already in the restricted section.

As soon as she walked in, she knew that she didn't need to read the map, as a book in the restricted section screamed. Arden picked up her wand and the map, regardless, cantered towards the scream. She found a large black and silver book seemingly shoved haphazardly onto the shelf. Its title seemed to be in a strange language, not at all recognizable script even in Ancient Runes. She heard footsteps getting closer and closer. She quickly took shelter at behind the exceedingly high up bookcase and read the map. 'Bloody hell, Filch? Really?' Arden cursed mentally. She would have to wait him out.

 

When the Care Taker finally left, Arden surveyed her surroundings. She didn't see anything moving (knowing Harry would have to use some sort of light to see anything), so she ran out of the restricted section. She checked the map again, Harry was just outside of the library in some classroom she didn't recognize. She made haste to the classroom.

Out in the hallway, Arden saw the unmistakable ends of Snape's billowing cloak trailing around the corner, obviously heading back to the dungeons. She checked the map to orient herself, Harry was two classrooms over on the east side. She ran over and slowly, so as not to let her presence be known, opened the door and slipped inside. Harry was standing in front of a grand old mirror. It was a magnificent mirror, as high as the ceiling, with an ornate gold frame, standing on two clawed feet. There was a missive carved around the top: _Erised stra ehru oyt ube cafru oyt on wohsi_. Arden quickly translated what it said: _I show not your face but your heart's desire_.

Harry was clearly in a place of mental shock and simultaneous joy. But, he didn't seem to comprehend what the mirror was showing him, as he kept glancing around himself, his eyes bouncing from part to part of the mirror.

Arden relaxed, leaning against the wall, and let the boy revel in his joy-bound-shock for a bit longer, becoming vicariously happy through him. After a while, though, she cleared her throat, letting her presence be known. The eleven year-old whipped around, clearly frightened. Once he realized who was in the room, his posture relaxed tremendously. "Oh, it's just you, Arden. You nearly gave me a heart attack!"

Arden pushed herself off of the wall and walked towards him, "It's just me? Harry, do you realize what would have happened if Professor Snape or McGonagall caught you? You'd be on their permanent watch list!" she warned.

Harry, clearly embarrassed, looked away, "Sorry…"

Arden smirked, clapping him on the shoulder, "Good on you, though. I've done way worse in the past and still haven't gotten caught. So, what were you looking for here? This mirror won't tell you a damn thing about Nicholas Flamel." Harry was flustered, clearly unaware that anyone knew about his, Ron's, and Hermione's motives. Arden laughed, "Hermione let it slip a while ago. She asked me if I knew about him. I do, but I'm letting you all figure it out."

Harry clarified, "You said that this mirror won't tell me anything about Flamel." Arden nodded, liking that he picked up on the subtext of her statement. "So, do you know what this mirror does?"

Arden smiled, "Why don't you tell me what you saw, first."

Harry blushed, "Well…it…it shows me my family, all of them. They're standing around me, smiling and-"

"Alive?" Arden finished.

Harry nodded, embarrassed, "Yeah. Does it show everyone their family?"

Arden mused for a moment, "Hmm, why don't you figure it out?"

The first year was clearly disappointed, "Why?"

The Ravenclaw almost sung, "It'll keep you thinking, and in trouble."

Harry sighed in defeat, but then a thought occurred to him. "Arden, what do you see in the Mirror?"


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

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Arden stood in contemplation for a moment. What would she see in a mirror that showed her heart’s deepest desire? Would she see her parents? Her deceased relatives? She mentally shook her head. No, she had a family. She had Minnie, Grandpa Albus, and the entirety of the Weasley family. Would she see her future self, happy, successful, and wealthy? No, that wouldn’t be it either. She didn’t even know what she wanted to do with her life after Hogwarts. Would she see herself with…no, she was happy with their relationship as it was. 

Morbid curiosity got the best of her. She walked up to the mirror, and closed her eyes. She took several deep, calming, breaths. One. Two. Three. She opened her eyes and saw…herself exactly as she was. 

 

The next day, Arden skipped her way towards the Headmaster’s Office. She wanted to ask about the mirror. She knew that Grandpa Albus would let her get away with, basically, anything (mass murder seemed to be the main exception). Upon reaching the guard gargoyle, she chimed, “Butterscotch” and was let into the spiral staircase. She calmly walked up the stairs, and stopped before the grand double doors. Arden listened for a beat, making sure no one else was in the office, before knocking.

“Enter,” Dumbledore’s voice called out. So, Arden did. 

She took a moment to really appreciate the large room. It was circular, as were a lot of the tower rooms, and filled with small background noises; some spindley, others tinkling, various chimes, slight scratches, and knocks made wonderful white noise to zone out to. If she were allowed, Arden would have been in the office almost every day to study, read for pleasure, and do her assignments. The noise-culprits were the numerous knickknacks scattered about the room, many of them letting out little puffs of smoke. The walls all held portraits of the old headmasters and headmistresses, all of whom were sleeping, watching the goings-on in the office, or quietly socializing amongst one another. The enormous, claw-footed desk sat in front of the shelf that held the Sorting Hat. She made a mental note to ask the hat about a certain boy-who-lived. 

Albus was sat at the desk, going over some large stack of parchment in, what looked to be, a disinterested daze. He glanced up at Arden, and smiled in welcome (and what seemed like relief). “Good afternoon, my dear. What brings you by on this lovely winters day?” he greeted. 

“Good afternoon, Grandpa. I came across something interesting last night that I wanted to run by you,” she said easily, sitting down across from him. She quickly glanced down at the stack of parchment, and saw that it was from the Wizengamot. 

He cocked one eyebrow, intrigued and amused by the thirteen year old, “Something interesting, you say. What happened?”

“I got side-tracked on my way back to Ravenclaw Tower last night. I stumbled across this abandoned classroom with a mirror stood in the middle of it.”

Dumbledore seemed amused, “Ah, you found the Mirror of Erised, my dear. Do you think you know what it does?”

She thought for a moment, recalling what the engraving had said. She slowly replied, “It had a backwards engraving across the top of the frame…I think it said, ‘I show not your face but your heart’s desire’. So, it shows what someone really, truly, wants, more than anything in the world.”

He smiled, “Did you see anything in the mirror, my dear Arden?” He was interested in seeing what the young girl could have seen. He knew of her attraction to a certain Weasley, through Minerva, but he knew that that couldn’t be what she saw in the mirror. 

She nervously shifted in her seat, unsure of what to expect from his reply. “You see, Grandpa, that’s what I came to talk to you about…I just saw myself, like it was a normal mirror.” The older wizard’s eyes widened in shock. Arden’s anxiety quickly kicked in, “Did I break it? I’m not sure what I did, but I’m sorry! I’ll fix it, I promise!”

Albus shook his hans hands and dismissed her concerns, “No, no, you did nothing wrong,” he reached up and stroked his beard, “That is just intriguing to hear, is all.”

“Intriguing? Can you explain?”

He chuckled, “My dear, I’ve yet to meet someone who hasn’t seen something in the mirror.”

“You mean to say that even you see something in the mirror, Grandpa?”

“Yes, my dear, I see myself holding a pair of thick woolen socks.”

She smiled, “I’m glad that I always get you socks for Christmas, then.”

“And I always love them. But, back to what you saw in the mirror. Are you truly, completely happy with the state of everything in your life? You want for nothing?”

She shrugged, “I have an endless supply of knowledge at my disposal at all times, I have great friends, a fantastic group of people that I consider family, what more could I want?”

 

After an extensive discussion with Albus…and a quick raid of his personal stores of dark-magic related texts (she borrowed a book that detailed the entire history of Transmorgrifian Torture) Arden revealed that Harry was interested in the mirror as well. Albus promised that Harry would not get in trouble. He’d merely caution the boy against spending a lot of time in front of the Mirror. 

Arden was off to Gryffindor Tower, not only to make sure the twins were doing/had finished their assignments, but, also, to see Harry. If he saw his family in the mirror, then he probably didn’t have anyone to relate to, or anyone he considered family. She was still unsure of Harry’s status as a good wizard or a dark wizard in the making, but she was going to try to sway him towards the good-side nonetheless. 

Upon reaching the portrait of the Fat Lady, Arden sat against the wall next to her and opened up _The Development and Use of Transmorgrifian Torture_. She knew it could be a while before anyone opened the door. 

About an hour into her wait, she heard the portrait door opening. She glanced up and saw Percy climbing out of the doorway. “Hey, Percy!” Arden greeted, catching his attention. “Mind getting Harry for me? I need to talk to him about something.”

The prefect sighed, “Do you want the twins too?” expecting that she’d want the company of her best friends.

She shook her head, “No, not right now. Although, if you want to make sure they have their break assignments done for me, that’d be great!”

“Alright. Should we just give you the password to the common room? You certainly seem to spend enough time waiting for someone to pass by that it may be easier.”

Arden shook her head, “That would completely defeat the purpose of having it in the first place. Plus, I get some reading done while I wait. It’s a win win.”

Percy nodded, before going back inside to fetch the first year. A few minutes later, Harry opened the portrait door and climbed out.

“Hello, Harry!” Arden greeted, patting the floor beside her, “Sit, sit. We have much to discuss!”

He raised an eyebrow, “Ok…” He trailed off with a cautious tone, sitting next to her in the empty halls. 

Percy climbed out of the portrait-hole, “They just have two essays left, and want your help whenever you’re done doing what you’re doing. I have to meet with McGonagall, so send Harry after them whenever you finish.” He ordered.

Arden mock saluted, “Aye-aye, Perfect Prefect Percy.”

He rolled his eyes, muttering, “why do I put up with this…” under his breath as he walked away.

She turned her attention back to Harry, “So, how are you today?”

He answered, “I’m fine…what’s this about? Are you and the twins going to prank me or something?”

Arden giggled as she shook her head, her long brown curls brushing Harry’s upper torso, “No, nothing of the sort.” She pulled her hair to one side, away from the first year, “Sorry about that, long hair is a lot to manage. I just wanted to know how you were doing. I heard Molly sent you a sweater and some of her fantastic fudge. Did your aunt and uncle send you anything?” 

“Yeah, they sent me a 50-pence piece. I think it’s the best present I’ve ever gotten from them,” he said with a bit too much confidence. 

She nodded, recalling how he looked at Kings Cross. “They don’t treat you well, do they?”

He shook his head, “No, they never have. They said that my parents and I are freaks. They make me do all of the housework whenever I’m there, and my cousin makes everyone gang up on me. I never really had friends before now.”

Arden pressed on, “Do you hate them?”

He paused, making a contemplative face, “I wouldn’t say that…I hate that I have to live with them, yeah. I don’t hate them, though.”

“Do you think they hate you?”

“What is this, a therapy session?” He joked, but continued, “I don’t think they really hate me…I mean, my uncle might, but I don’t think my aunt does. I think they more resent me and the fact I was kind of thrust upon them than anything.” He turned the questions on her, “Why are you so interested in my home life?”

She started playing with her hands, “Because, I’m probably one of the few people in this school who can really understand. If it weren’t for my godmother, we’d probably be in the same boat.” 

“What do you mean?” Harry asked, his green eyes widened in disbelief.

“Well, I’m an orphan too…” she provided, “My godmother is a witch, and was really close to my parents. She’s raised me since I was a month old or so.” She looked off into the empty hallway, her voice softening, “She’s fantastic, honestly. I couldn’t ask for someone better. If she wasn’t there, I’d have no one.” She looked at Harry, gesturing with her hands as she spoke, “Our parents were supposedly close. But, if they took me in, I’d probably have ended up in an orphanage or dead when Voldemort attacked your parents…”

Harry placed a bracing hand on her shoulder, “We orphans have to stick together, right?”

Arden smiled, “Yeah. Well, I doubt either of us are really orphans now. If Molly sent you fudge and a sweater, you’re officially one of her children. Welcome to the extended Weasley Family, we’re glad to have you.”

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

 

Several weeks after terms started up again, Arden waltzed up the spiral staircase that led to Dumbledore's office, Mercutio trailing behind her. He had invited her up for a spot of tea that morning. She was always happy to spend some time with the elderly wizard. Mercutio meowed, weaving between her legs as she walked to snap her out of her thoughts, and to keep her focused on where she was going. She stopped for a moment to bend down and scratch his brown and white ears. She gave the gargoyle the new password, "Butterscotch pie" and skipped up the stairs. Pushing open the doors, Arden was met with the wonderful aroma of mint-rose tea, fresh baked biscuits, and the indistinguishable intoxicating smell of old books. Mercutio sat patiently next to her and glanced over at Fawkes. He was in his elderly form once again.

"Ah, Arden," Dumbledore acknowledged from his desk, looking up at her from behind his spectacles. He appeared to have been reading through a letter, if the post-owl perched next to Fawkes was any indication. He gestured to one of the two plush armchairs sat next to a large side-table, muddled with steaming teapot and biscuits, "Take a seat. I am afraid that it shall be a small while before we can converse."

Walking over to her preferred chair, the one closest to the door, Arden noticed that the letter had a watermark in the corner of a rather famous M shape. "Did the minister write you again?" she asked. Mercutio hopped into her lap as soon as she sat down, demanding to be pet in the most blatant way possible. She obliged, absentmindedly, and began stroking the large tom-cat.

"Your astute deductions never fail to astound me, my dear," Dumbledore commented.

"Can't he do anything for himself?" she wondered aloud, not ceasing her petting of the cat.

Her puzzlement caused him to laugh, "Do I detect malice, Arden?"

She shook her head, "No sir, just…befuddlement."

He leaned back in his chair, training his gaze on the young witch. "Would you care to elaborate?"

She sighed, "Not at the moment, no."

He nodded, "Think on it for a while, my dear. At the moment, I must finish writing to Cornelius. As always, my stores of books are open to your perusing."

"Do your 'stores of books' include your personal collection?"

The elderly wizard smiled, knowing that she wanted to peruse the, rather extensive and ancient, collection of dark magic books in his bedroom. "Yes, it would; just take care to avoid the cursed titles at the highest shelf."

"Thank you, Grandpa Albus," the brunette smiled, standing up and quickly, disturbing Mercutio. The cat padded over to Fawkes' perch, and the Ravenclaw made her way to the hidden door that led to his bedchambers.

As soon as Arden had closed the door behind herself, Dumbledore, exasperatedly, ran his hand down his face and stroked his beard. He was beginning to worry about that girl. Her interest in dark magic was fun for the first few hours, but it had become an addiction as of late. He was going to have to have a talk with Minerva sooner rather than later. While he was pondering that, a rather familiar knock pattern rang through his office.

The old wizard smiled, keeping his attention on the letter he still had to write, called out, "Come in, Severus."

 

Arden had burned through at least half of _The Nightshade Guide to Necromancy_ when she overheard a, rather loud, discussion going on in Grandpa Albus' office. She stood up and began to walk towards the door to hear clearer.

"…arrogant as his father, a determined rule-breaker, delighted to find himself famous, attention-seeking and impertinent…"

'Is that Snape?' Arden pondered. She opened the door just a smidgen, not noticed by either wizard in the room. Sure enough, Severus Snape was pacing up and down in front of Grandpa Albus' desk. The elder wizard wasn't even paying attention to the distressed Potions Master.

"You see what you expect to see, Severus," said Dumbledore, without raising his eyes from a copy of Transfiguration Today. "Other teachers report that the boy is modest, likable, and reasonably talented. Personally, I find him an engaging child." Dumbledore turned a page, and said, without looking up, "Keep an eye on Quirrell, won't you?"

Arden closed the door and returned to the settee, her usual reading spot in Dumbledore's bedchambers. 'Why would Snape need to keep an eye on Quirrell?' she pondered. Was Quirrell a bad man? If so, why in Merlin's name would Grandpa Albus have hired him on in the first place? She knew that some Death Eaters still existed and were killing in Voldemort's name, sure that was a given. Was Quirrell one of them? Was that why he was so skittish all of the time? Maybe he had a direct link to Voldemort? She would have to do some major research. Her Stalk Harry Project just turned into a Stalk Quirrell project.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

 

"P…p…please r-read chapter t-twelve in y…your t…t…textb-book b…b…before n-next class," Quirrell stammered out while the class gathered their belongings stood up to leave. Arden, sat next to Seo and Mary, put her things away much slower than everyone else.

"Arden, Seo and I are going to the library before dinner to start on our Astrology projects. Do you want to join us?" Mary questioned while their roommate starred at Cedric as he walked away.

"Afraid I can't tonight. Fred, George, Lee, and I are working on a surprise for Marcus Flint. Thanks for the offer, though."

The strawberry-blonde shrugged and dragged Seo, who was still in her Cedric-obsessed mental state, to their Divination class. Arden hung back, knowing that their current Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom was close enough to her Arithmancy classroom that she could get there in a matter of minutes.

Quirrell was stood behind his desk, his back facing the tables the students sat in, and was writing something on the blackboard for his next class. Arden waltzed up to his desk, determined to interrogate him. She watched him fidget with the chalk for a few moments. "Professor Quirrell," she started, causing him to jump several inches in the air in shock.

He spun around in shock, "Y…yes?" He messed anxiously with his hands, his turban was coming noticeably loose. She took note of the silvery residue on the back of his neck. It had been there all class, but the loosened turban revealed more of it. 

"I have a question about ghosts…"

Quirrell continued to wring his hands together, "Wh…what would that q-question be?"

The brunette shifted her weight from one foot to the other, giving off the air that she was innocent and shy, "Is it possible for them to possess someone?"

Quirrell's eyes widened considerably, "N-no that's n-not p-possible. G-ghosts are s…simply i-imprints of the d…d…dead s…souls th-that have n-not c…c…crossed over."

Arden nodded, following along, "Is there a way for someone to, theoretically speaking, live indefinitely? But, without becoming a ghost?"

Quirrell's eyes suddenly were filled with terror, as if scared of the student in front of him. "Th-Theoretically sp-speaking y-yes. Th-there are several w-ways t-to l-live on, b…b…but only one works after being k…k…killed. B…b…but it is a m-miserable ex…ex…existence," he nervously informed.

"Why would you say that?”

“Th…th…they would have t…to have something t…to hold onto. And, they have v…v…very little free will of th…th…their own.”

“I know one is drinking the blood of a unicorn, and I know about Flammell's stone, are those the only ones? Which one works after being killed?" she probed.

Quirrell blanched. "W-well h-h-horcruxes st…st…store a p…portion of a p…person's s-s-soul. B…b…but th-they are very easy to d…destroy."

Arden cocked her head in curiosity, "Horcruxes? What are those?"

Quirrell snapped, seemingly tired of her incessant questioning, "V-very d…dark m-magic, too d…dark f-for a student, esp-pecially one of y-your level. If y-you have a c…class t…to g…get to, miss G…Grayson, I suggest y-you l-leave now!"

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

 

Arden was laying on her stomach in a far corner of the Ravenclaw common room, humming a melody only she knew while completing her Ancient Runes homework. It had been several hours since she had asked Quirrell about ways to prolong one's life. It had almost seemed as if he was hiding something, particularly along those lines…What were those dried silver flakes around the nape of his neck? The fact that she only knew of one species that had silver blood caused her worry. She knew there were unicorns in the forest. But, why would a man who seemed too scared to even exist need the blood of a unicorn? Moreover, why would he need it on the back of his head?

Those questions rode nonstop on her train of thought. So, she had taken it upon herself to research things about people with things on the backs of their heads. She had found some Japanese folklore about something called a futakuchi-onna, which is a demon that takes human form with two mouths, one on their faces and another on the back of their head. But, other than that, there wasn't too much else. It was time to take more drastic measures. She was going to ask Grandpa Albus about horcruxes, since Quirrel had specifically mentioned whatever those were as ways of prolong life.

"Oi, Grayson." Arden was snapped out of her train of thought. She looked up and came face to face with Terry Boot, a first year. "Those Weasley twins are looking for you," he gestured to the door casually.

She nodded, standing up and gathering her things, "Thanks, sorry if they were a bother."

He shrugged, "When are they not?"

Arden smirked and, arms laden with her homework, clambered out of the knocker hole. "Hello boys," she greeted, attempting to block their view of the Ravenclaw common room as she exited.

Fred's face was beet red upon processing how undone she looked. Her hair was a bit ruffled up from stereotypical Ravenclaw disregard of appearance while working on whatever they are doing. Her shirt had rode down considerably while she was laying on the floor, and the top three buttons on her shirt had come undone, giving view to a, relative to the extremely conservative Hogwarts uniform standard, large amount of cleavage. She was unaware that, on top of all of that, she was holding her homework and textbook in such a way that pushed her chest up just the bit needed to get a glimpse of the top of her lacy beige bra cups.

George had noticed as well, but just doubled over laughing at his brother's face.

Arden, not catching on, was bemused, "Am I missing something?" She cocked her head, which gave her an even more innocent appearance.

Fred's expression was priceless at that moment, one of pure bewilderment, mixed with arousal and attraction, with just a hint of mutual embarrassment for his best friend.

George, on the other hand, nearly peed himself cackling at the scene. His best friend was partly exposed in the open, high traffic, hallway of their school while his brother, who had a thing for her, was trying his hardest to not to bust a nut. He finally decided after laughing himself a stomachache, that enough was enough. He teased, "Oi, Arden, nice bra," bringing the girl to realize the compromising position that her shirt had put her in.

"Oh!" she immediately dropped her things on the ground, but put her inkwell down gently, and set to fixing her shirt. "Thanks, George!" Upon processing what had just transpired, Arden flushed. Fred Weasley, the boy she had a crush on, had seen her bra. He wasn't meant to see that until much later, according to all of the sappy romance novels she had read last term! She shook her head to clear her thoughts. No, it was an honest mistake. It couldn't ruin anything, could it?

Fred coughed, effectively breaking the awkward tension. "So, Arden, we have an idea," he informed, clearly still shaken up from before.

George nodded, "Ah, yeah! This Malfoy kid has been giving ickle Ronniekins and his friends a hard time."

"So, we thought that it was time for the best and most supportive brothers of the Weasley family to inspire the whole of Hogwarts!"

"What do you say, Arden?" They simultaneously asked, already knowing the answer.

The brunette got that determined look on her face that Fred adored. Her eyes blazed with a fire that he could only describe as pure, unadulterated, Gryffindor courage, "What's the plan?"

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

The sly Ravenclaw smirked while her partners in pranking cackled. The twins were distracting Malfoy and his gang (Crabbe and Goyle), while Arden was on lookout duty. She had heard that, not only was Malfoy bullying Ron, but he also called Hermione a "Mudblood". While Arden may be a Ravenclaw through and through, she was also fiercely protective of her friends.

The twins gave each other a look and nodded. Fred glanced at Arden, who was hid behind a pillar, waiting for her confirmation that they were still in the clear. After looking in every direction to confirm that no one was coming, Arden gave the signal, firing off blue and purple sparks from her wand.

Fred nodded at George, while Arden readied herself. The twins lifted their wands and cast, "Weaselbum Levipendo!" The three Slytherins cowered while Arden cast the Ventus jinx, sending a gust of wind at the Slytherins. 

The first years were confused, they didn't feel anything; "What did you Weasel-brains do to us?" Malfoy accused.

Arden grinned, thinking ' _Wouldn't they like to know?_ '

Fred and George simultaneously said, "We wouldn't want to be you right now."

Fred teased, "If you don't get the counter curse in the next ten minutes-"

"Your pants will fuse to your…you know." George finished with a devious leer.

The first years' eyes immediately filled with terror, and they screamed their way down the stairs to the hospital wing.

Arden ran over, chirping in laughter along the way. Fred and George were doubled over, clutching their stomachs as they laughed. They all high-fived, celebrating, yet another, successful revenge prank.

Their celebration was cut short. Arden heard Snape’s tell-tale baritone echoing down the hall. She grabbed the twins by their cloaks, catching their attention, and flew down the hall. She let them go when she was sure they’d follow her, and made sure to travel parallel to the route Snape was taking. She paced back and forth in front of a tapestry, waiting for her ginger boys to catch up. She began to panic, the only staircases were perpendicular to their current route, and no doubt Snape would catch them if they tried to escape. He had, more than likely, seen Malfoy and his goons, and was after them for revenge. They had to run for it.

'Need a place to hide, need a place to hide, need a place to hide!' that mantra was the only thing aboard her train of thought. Just as the twins caught up, Arden noticed a door…quickly glancing down the hallway, she saw that Snape and Filch were right on their tails. She quickly opened the mysterious door. Fred dove in after her. They both peeked around the hall, only to see that George had been caught. To save themselves, they shut the door behind themselves and waited, with bated breath.

While they hid, Arden looked at their surroundings. To say that the room was crowded was only scratching the surface. From floor to ceiling, the room was filled to bursting with items that, from her vantage point, ranged from Muggle toys to schoolbooks, from posters to pillows, from animal cages to questionable bottles of lotion. The room looked like it had it all and then some. 'What kind of room is this?' Arden asked herself, 'What have I discovered? I don't remember this being on the map!'

Arden turned to ask Fred his thoughts, but she got lost in his eyes. Merlin, were they beautiful, he was beautiful. She could count the freckles from his eyelids to his toes and back again, and still want to play connect the dots on his cheeks. 

Fred’s breath caught in his throat. Arden’s eyes had to be pools of melted chocolate; there was no other explanation for how deep and vivid the color was. His gaze moved down to her lips, and he licked his absentmindedly, wondering how hers would feel against his own. As his eyes moved to look back into hers, he noticed the freckles dusting her cheeks and nose.

The two teenagers didn't notice that they had started to lean closer to one another, their breath mingling in the mere inches between the two of them. Arden suddenly took note of the lack of space between herself and Fred, and quickly pulled back. She coughed, awkwardly, "Um…So, where do you think we are?"

Fred, feeling just as awkward and, though he wouldn't admit it, slightly dejected, replied, "No idea, can't say I remember this from the map."

The brunette nodded, "Yeah, me either…" she trailed off, standing up. "Should we take a look around? Maybe we'll find something just as interesting as the map?"

Fred jumped up, suddenly energetic and excited, "Yeah! Oh, George would be so-" He stopped abruptly. "George…He's still out there…" He turned towards the door.

Arden mentally slapped herself. How could she forget George? Did staring into Fred's eyes steal her intelligence? Does having a crush suddenly make you an idiot? Minnie told her that love was blind, but she didn't ever take Minnie seriously when she talked like the Muggles in movies! How could she be so stupid? She said, "We should go get him out of trouble…"

She moved towards the door, when Fred shoved his arm out in front of her. "You're staying here, at least for now," he said finitely.

"Excuse me?" Arden asked with a sassy undertone.

"I mean it," Fred said, staring down at Arden with a dominant expression and a serious air to his voice.

"Fred," Arden slowly stated, "I helped fake-jinx Malfoy and his goons, I should be-"

"Arden, I'm serious." Fred declared, interrupting her, "I told you that we would make sure you don't get in trouble. I stand by what I say. You're going to graduate with a clean record."

Arden's jaw must have fallen to the dungeons. "But-" She tried to argue, Fred cut her off with his finger on her lips.

He met her gaze, "No 'buts', I am a wizard of my word. Let us take the blame, you just make sure our pranks work correctly." He looked to the door, "Detention is not that big of a deal, Arden, really. Now," he took his hand from her mouth, "I'm going to save my brother, you wait here for another hour or so. Alright?"

Arden internally grumbled in frustration as Fred walked out of the room, glaring daggers into his back. How dare he insinuate that his 'pride' and 'Gryffindor chivalry' were, somehow, reasons for denying her taking some of the heat off of him and George? She knew that their mom hated the fact that they got in trouble so often; she was always berating them for it. So, to appease their mother, whose relationship with them was getting more and more tense every day, Arden wanted to take some of the blame. She helped, after all.

She mentally slapped herself. She was being ridiculous. Fred cared about her, so he didn't want to get her in trouble, right? Why was she making him out to be the antagonist? Looking at her surroundings, Arden figured she might as well explore.

She walked all the way to the back of the, seemingly endless, room. There were mountains of stuff, just stuff, as high as the Owlery and, easily, as wide as half of one of the tables in the Great Hall. Once she reached the back, she found an ornate black and gold cabinet. It looked ancient, possibly older than Grandpa Albus, and broken, the door would open, but barely a crack. She tried to peer inside, but the back was, seemingly, eaten and worn away. The underside looked as though it would give out any minute, and the legs were…well, on their last legs. She was wondering, among all of the towers of things just strewn about in this room, why was this cabinet standing alone? What made this…thing so special? She made a mental note to ask Grandpa Albus or Minnie about it at a later date.

She turned away from the broken cabinet and started excavating the closest mountain. She dug past textbooks from years past, parchment rolls, and knit caps. Sparing glances only at the dustiest books, and some pictures, she made her way through the pile of clutter. She was elbow deep when she found a muggle picture, obviously taken on a Polaroid. The couple pictured looked like Harry Potter, albeit quite a few years older, and someone who had to be a distant relative of the Weasleys. Upon closer inspection, she saw that the Weasley-looking girl had the exact same eyes as current Harry, and the Harry-looking-guy had hazel eyes. Was this the infamous James and Lily Potter? Were these two whom Arden had heard so much about? The James and Lily who were babysitting her the night her parents died? These two ordinary looking people were the Aurors who fought Voldemort three times before getting betrayed by their closest friend?

Arden couldn't believe her eyes. They looked to be about sixteen in the picture, sitting on, what Arden assumed to be, a couch in the Gryffindor common room. They looked, relatively, happy. James looked as though he would throw up at any given second, and Lily seemed to be calm and pleased with the goings-on. How someone got a Polaroid camera working at Hogwarts was beyond Arden's focus. She wanted to learn more. Minnie always got upset when she asked about friends of her godmother's whom had passed, and Grandpa Albus was too busy for her to bother him with a mundane question like that. Hagrid, however, would answer anything for her. She'd simply go ask the half-giant. She pocketed the picture, intent on finding out more.  
Arden continued her trek around the room, occasionally digging through piles as she went. She had found a wide array of objects had been stashed in that room: from books to jewelry, socks to snitches, Muggle board games to dried up gillyweed. She could have sworn that the room just kept getting bigger. As soon as she would get bored of one pile, she would find several more that she hadn't seen before on the wall behind her. She must have spent hours in there already, her stomach was crying for food. She was sad to leave the mysterious place, but she really needed to get back. Shutting the door behind her, Arden ran down the hallway, hoping to catch supper in time.

 

The next day, Arden rushed down to Hagrid's hut, dying to show him the picture of the Potters that she found. When she got there, however, she was surprised to find the half-giant caring for, what appeared to be, a large black rock in his fireplace.

"Arden!" Hagrid sputtered, turning away from the fire to see her standing in his doorway. "What're ye doin' here?"

Arden gave him a kind smile, "Hagrid, is that what I think it is?" she asked in awe, moving towards the fire to get a better look. "Where did you get a dragon egg?"

The man scratched at his beard uncomfortably, "Er…ye see…Las' night. I was down in the village havin' a few drinks an' got into a game o' cards with a stranger. Think he was quite glad ter get rid of it, ter be honest."

"Is it fertilized? How are you going to care for it when it hatches? What will you do if Dumbledore finds out?"

Hagrid put his hands up defensively, but also somewhat calmingly. "Slow yer horses. One question at a time."

Arden blushed, "Sorry." Then, she remembered what she went down to Hagrid's hut for in the first place. "Oh!" She rummaged around in her pocket, pulling out the picture and showing it to him, "Hagrid, what can you tell me about this?"

He took the picture from her hands and looked at it closer, "Why that's James and Lily Potter, ain't it?" Arden smirked, she was right. "Where did ye find this?"

"Fred and I found this room hidden behind a tapestry on the seventh floor hallway. It's chock full of mountains of random items, and this was in one of them!" Arden gushed.

Hagrid smiled, then his face morphed to one of curiosity, "Do yeh mind if I keep this? I'm making 'Arry something for his birthday."

 

"A run down cabinet, you say?" Dumbledore asked, running his hand over his ridiculously long beard.

Arden nodded, "Yes, sir."

"In a hidden room, on the seventh floor behind a tapestry, full of knick knacks, impedimenta, paraphernalia, and other odds and ends?"

"Yes!" Arden implored.

Dumbledore smiled, knowing exactly what room Arden was referring to. But, he wanted to play with his unofficial granddaughter for a bit. He sat up higher in his chair, cleared his throat, laced his fingers together, and said with such conviction, "I've never heard of it." Arden nearly broke her nose when she face palmed. "But," he continued, "I can tell you where you might look to find whatever information you might need." Mercutio hopped up on Dumbledore's desk, pawing at and playing with the old man's beard.


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SORRY I HAD A MINI-HIATUS!!!! I had a HUGE change in like everything to do with the upcoming semester be thrown at me in a week! I AM SO SORRY!!!
> 
> The updated tags may give away a spoiler or two to the rest of the story...but a lot of it won't happen until MUCH later...
> 
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> ALSO ALSO, CHECK OUT MY FRIEND CICIWEEZIL BECAUSE THEIR STORIES ARE AWESOMESAUCE AND THEY ARE SUPERMEGAFOXYAWESOMEHOT! [THEY ARE MY BETA AND I LOVE THEM!](https://archiveofourown.org/users/CiciWeezil/pseuds/CiciWeezil)
> 
> I DO NOT OWN HARRY POTTER OR ANY OF ITS CHARACTERS! I ONLY OWN MY OCS!

It was March before Arden found any information about the room. Her side of the dorm was littered with books. Much to Mercutio's dismay, ' _his spot_ ' on ' _their_ ' bed had several books strewn over it, many were thicker than he was tall. He hissed in distaste at them, causing his mistress to shoot him a glare from her spot on the floor.

"Mercutio, if you want to lay down, there's plenty of open bed space," she gestured to the rest of the bed, which was open. He growled low in his throat at the suggestion. "I'm sorry, what was that?" she dared him to growl at her again. This prompted him to swish his tail in irritation, purposely flicking her ear with it.

Arden brushed it off, and continued reading. She had to find information on the room somewhere. It just had to be documented in some capacity. She knew it. She just needed to find the right book…

Seo and Mary walked into the room, blathering on about something.

Seo stopped in her tracks, putting her hands on her hips, "Really, Arden? You haven't stopped reading since we left?"

Arden didn't bother looking up, "You haven't been gone long-"

Mary cut her off, "Arden we left for breakfast eleven hours ago. It's time for dinner."

"I'll get something from the kitchens later-"

Seo shook her head, pulling Arden up by her arm, "Nope, you'll not rot away in here trying to find something that doesn't exist."

"It does exist! Fred and I-"

Mary argued, "Arden, you need to eat something today. You skipped all three meals yesterday."

"And, the day before that," Seo added, crossing her arms, showing that she was serious.

Arden slumped, knowing that they were right. She let them drag her down to the Great Hall, listening to their mindless blathering over Cedric Diggory. Arden fell into her own thoughts, as she tuned out her roommates. She and Cedric hadn't had one of their Transfiguration lessons since coming back from Christmas Break. Thinking on it, she had to admit that she didn't particularly miss them. She knew that it was a great thing, helping her fellow student succeed, and she enjoyed spending time with Cedric. He was a great guy, attractive, smart, and definitely talented. They had grown close over the course of the past few years. She could confidently call the popular Hufflepuff her friend. But, she liked having the extra time to herself. She was really starting to appreciate her own company, not above her friends', of course. But, it was nice to know that she enjoyed herself. It gave her a boost of self-confidence, one that she had been lacking.

The three girls pushed open the doors to the Great Hall, only to see that most of the students had arrived already. Arden spotted the four youngest Weasley boys quickly, their hair standing out from the whole of the Hall. She smiled, seeing that the twins had some sort of minor prank planned for Ron. They walked towards the Ravenclaw table, which sat between Hufflepuff and Slytherin that year. Seo and Mary took a seat behind the Hufflepuff table, which happened to be particularly close to a certain Cedric. Arden sat close to her roommates, which prompted the aforementioned Hufflepuff to hop a table over.

"Good evening, Arden," Cedric greeted, throwing his arm around her shoulders.

"Hey," Arden muttered around her mouthful of pasta noodles. Cedric, Arden noted, uneasily smiled and scratched the back of his neck nervously. He took a glance behind his shoulder, glancing at his male friends making some sort of mating dance? Arden was confused; boys were so strange. They almost seemed like an entire other species that communicated with their own secret language. Arden looked towards her roommates, whom were red as the marinara sauce on her pasta, and practically falling over themselves trying to process that their mutual crush was sitting next to their "lame" roommate.

"So, Arden, are you going to Hogsmeade this weekend?" he inquired with a nervous tone to his voice.

The brunette shrugged, "Probably. Are you going, Cedric?"

He nodded, visibly swallowing, "Yeah, I am. Do you, maybe, want to go together?"

"Sure, Cedric. That sounds fun!" She smiled. Perfect, she thought, she’d be able to shop for the twins’ birthday presents without them hovering over her shoulder, or risking Lee spoiling it for them! Plus, she’d get to spend more time with Cedric! It was a win-win situation.

Cedric's jaw dropped, "Really? You want to go with me?"

Arden nodded, "Of course! Why wouldn't I?"

He mussed with his hands, "Well, I thought that, maybe, you were going with Fred?"

She laughed, "Well, I can't exactly get him and George their birthday presents while they're with me."

Cedric nodded, "Yeah, I guess so. Well, see you in class tomorrow?"

"Yeah, see you," Arden turned back to her food, completely aware of the open jaws of, practically, all of the girls in the Great Hall, along with their eye-daggers all pointed at her.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

 

"Why do you guys always want to go to the kitchens after dinner?" Arden asked, standing to one side while George tickled the pear.

"Because, Arden, we're growing men," Fred stated like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

George agreed, "Dinner is too early to completely satiate our hunger."

Arden rolled her eyes, "So, why am I here?"

Fred and George silently communicated with just a look, a talent that only twins seemed to possess. "Because," they answered in synch.

The door to the kitchens creaked open, showing hundreds of House Elves rushing around cleaning dishes and prepping for breakfast the next morning. A few elves took notice of their presence, "Good evening, Masters Weasley and Mistress Grayson!" they chimed in their high pitched voices.

"What cans we makes for you tonight?" Dippy, Arden recalled from their numerous visits to the kitchen, asked, looking up at the trio with her huge bug eyes.

The twins each threw an arm around one of Arden's shoulders, Fred on her left and George on her right. "Just a round of Butterbeers, if you'd please, Dippy."

She nodded eagerly, her giant ears flapping against her head, "Yes, Sirs, right away." She ran off to complete the task.

Arden had an epiphany. The Elves! Of course! They'd know about the room! They knew the castle even better than she and the twins did! They had been here for who knows how long and clean every inch of the castle! She spotted one of the cleaning Elves pop into the far corner of the kitchen and wring out his pillowcase outfit. She ducked out from under the twins grasp and walked over to him, "Excuse me," she started, getting his attention, "I have a quick question, if you don't mind."

The elf nodded, he looked much older than Dippy. He had eye bags and looser skin around his cheekbones; his ears were droopier than Dippy's as well. Perfect, she thought, an older elf would know more than the younger ones! "Of course, Mistress," he croaked, his voice softer and deeper with age as well, but still the telltale high pitch that all the House Elves carried, "How cans Donnie be of help?"

Arden squatted down to Donnie's level, "Well, Donnie, I found this room a few weeks ago, on the seventh floor behind a tapestry. It disappeared as soon as I closed the door, and I can't find any information on it. It was filled to bursting with endless piles of knick-knacks and other odds and ends. Do you know anything about it?"

Donnie nodded, "We knows of it, Mistress. We House Elves calls it the Come and Go room, else as the Room of Requirement."

Arden was confused, "The Room of Requirement? Why is it called that?"

Donnie continued, "It is a room that a person can only enter when they have a real need of it. Sometimes it is there, sometimes not. But, when it comes, it has what the person needs," he explained.

Arden nodded, "That helps tremendously, Donnie. Thank you so much!"

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

 

"FRED!" Lee ran into their dorm, "FRED FRED FRED!"

"WHAT" George replied, pretending to be Fred.

"Fred, you won't believe what just happened! GEORGE!" Lee called in Fred's direction, "GET OVER HERE!"

Fred walked over, pretending to be George, "What's going on?"

Lee grinned, practically shaking in excitement, "So, word in the corridor is that Cedric asked Arden to go to Hogsmeade with him, and Arden agreed."

The twins' jaws dropped, "What?" They gasped in synch.

Lee nodded vigorously, "And, she seemed to be excited too! Didn’t she tell us that she didn’t have a crush on him, like she saw him as JUST a friend? Well, guess that changed.” Both of the twins were stunned, but one of them was almost heartbroken. Lee picked up on the vibe in the room, “Oh, bloody hell, Fred. I forgot…" Lee trailed off.

George muttered, “Just, not now, Lee. Ok?” Lee nodded and walked down to the common room.

Fred backed up to his bed and sat down, head in his hands, "What am I gonna do, Georgie? I can’t possibly compete with Cedric Diggory.”

George sat down and rubbed Fred’s back, “Maybe Arden didn’t know that Cedric meant it to be a date? Arden is more book-smart than she is people-smart. If she was people-smart, you two would probably be dating already.”

Fred scoffed, “What are the chances of that happening?”

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

 

“This won’t help, either!” Arden groaned, having just finished reading through the umpteenth book she could find on obscure summoning techniques and spells. She huffed in frustration, and rolled over on the couch in the Ravenclaw common room to hang upside down, once again. Her legs draped over the back and her hair fell into a large pool of dark brown curls on the deep blue carpet. She needed more information on the Room of Requirement. She had no clue how to make it appear, or how it even worked. She had to know. She had fixated on it, so she had to solve it. She knew that she could wheedle the information out of Grandpa Albus eventually, but she wanted to know then and there!

She closed her eyes and took a calming breath, no use in getting upset about it. Focus. Focus was key. She knew that the room had appeared when she and Fred needed a hiding space after she walked past the wall across from the tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy…and Donnie did say it appeared when someone had a real need of it…thus the name Room of Requirement…it couldn’t be that simple! Ockham’s Razor strikes again. But, how did it work? It seemed like it was such complex transfiguration…Minnie had to know something!

She spun upright, and promptly face planted into the carpet. Her housemates, though lovely people, didn’t even flinch. A prefect, though (Arden believed his name was Robert) ran over. “Oi, Grayson, you alright?” He helped her sit up, “That looked like a nasty fall. Look at me,” he requested, making eye contact. “You don’t seem to be concussed…Do you feel faint?”

Arden rubbed her face, careful around her nose, “Thanks, but I’m fine. I think I just sat up too fast…”

“I always see you sitting upside down like that. You know that isn’t good for you, right?”

“It helps me think and sort through problems.” She slowly stood up, making sure she wouldn’t fall that time, “Thanks for checking on me, Hilliard. You’re alright.” She bent down to get the discarded copy of Summons and Conjures of Complex Nature, “I’ve got to go return this to McGonagall, now. Speak later!” 

 

 

Arden ran down to the first floor of the Defense tower, needing to know where to look next. Upon finally reaching her office, Arden knocked on the door in earnest.

“Enter.” Arden opened the door and hurried inside. Minnie was sat at her desk grading papers. She looked up and gave one of her rare smiles, “Good evening, Arden. Take a seat and have a biscuit. I’ll be just a moment.” 

The third year sat down, opening the tin on her desk and taking a chocolate digestive-style biscuit. As she nibbled at the biscuit, she tried to put her thoughts into a cohesive manner. She knew what she wanted to know, but didn’t know the best way to put it. 

Out of pure curiosity, she glanced at the subject matter of the essays. It seemed like the N.E.W.T. sixth-year students had just finished going over the complications of improper human transfiguration practices, and the best counter methods for the more common issues. Interesting, she’d have to take a look into them after she finished with the Room of Requirement and observing Quirrell. 

After what seemed like a century, Minnie finally decided to take a break. She set down her quill, and stood up to hug her goddaughter. After they stepped back from one another, Minnie asked, “How about we go have a spot of tea in my chambers, eh?” 

Arden knew that Minnie’s chambers were more lightly used than most other professors’ chambers were; as she went back home after her nightly rounds to keep up with their flat. She had converted her chambers to an extension of her office; with more file cabinets, bookshelves, a gorgeous redwood desk, a scarlet rug atop the stone floor, and, displayed proudly in many of the viewing cabinets and display shelves, she kept her Gryffindor paraphernalia. She also had a few armchairs and a three-seat couch in front of the fireplace, with a good view of the Quidditch Pitch. 

She chose to sit on the couch, and Minnie followed her lead. She called for Nebbie – one of the house elves – and asked for a pot of jasmine tea, and a plate of scones and jam. Nebbie popped off to the kitchens, and Minnie turned her attention to her goddaughter. 

“Are you excited for the Hogsmeade trip this weekend, Arden?” Minnie asked, starting off the conversation lightly. She had a feeling that, with all of the advanced transfiguration books she had been reading, that this would be a longer and more serious conversation than normal. 

Arden, at the mention of the trip, had a rapid change in demeanor and almost was bouncing. “Oh, yes! Cedric asked me to go with him this weekend, and that’s the perfect opportunity for me to get the twins their birthday presents without them seeing anything!”

One of Minerva’s eyebrows quirked up in interest; the Diggory boy asked her to Hogsmeade? “And what does Fred think of this?”

Arden was confused, “What does Fred have to do with anything? Cedric and I are friends. We’re allowed to do things together.”

Ah, that was it, Minerva concluded. Arden didn’t see it as a date, or she just never saw Diggory in that fashion. That was quite fascinating. From what she knew, most of the female students, and even some males, saw Diggory as an ideal partner. “Nothing, dear. Ah, thank you Nebbie,” she acknowledged, taking the cup the elf was offering. Arden followed suit, and both witches allowed the elf to pour them their first cup of tea. 

“Is theres anything else Nebbie cans do for you?” the elf curtsied, looking up at the pair with her large eyes. 

“That will be all for now, Nebbie. Thank you.”

“Thank you, Nebbie.” Arden chimed. 

The elf curtsied once more, and disappeared with a pop. 

“So, what was it you wanted to talk about, Arden?” Minnie asked knowingly.

Arden smirked and sassed, “So, I can’t visit my godmother without an ulterior motive, now?”

McGonagall scoffed, “Not when you’ve been borrowing the majority of my advanced transfiguration texts.”

“For a bit of light reading, I assure you,” she trailed off. “I’m not hiding this too well, am I?”

Minerva patted her shoulder, “You know you can’t hide anything from me. Now, what do you want to know?”

Arden took a deep breath, “Well…I basically figured out how the room works, but I want to know how the magic that makes it appear, disappear, and have whatever the person needs works. Also, who created the room, and why did they?”

Minnie nodded along, “Well, the rumor is that each of the founders contributed something important to the castle, beyond creating the school. Godric Gryffindor gave us the Sorting Hat. Salazar Slytherin created a chamber somewhere deep in the castle. Rowena Ravenclaw created The Quill of Acceptance, The Book of Admittance, and she charmed the castle to be invisible to muggles and prevent apparition inside its territory. Helga Hufflepuff created the Room of Requirement to help any student in need. But,” she continued, “The school itself is rather alive. Albus likes to say ‘Help will always be given at Hogwarts to those who ask for it’. So, maybe the castle built it. It’s a rather curious room, I must say.” 

Arden sighed, “So, we don’t know where it came from?”

“Maybe the room has some answers,” the older witch smiled, “You do require an answer, do you not?” 

Arden’s eyes widened, she’d never thought of that! She tackle-hugged her godmother, “Minnie, you’re the best!”

 

 

The next day, Arden practically ran to the seventh floor. She needed answers. After reaching the tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy, she paced back and forth mentally begging for answers. ‘I need to know the history of this room. I need to know the history of this room. I need to know the history of this room. I need-‘ Her mental chanting was cut off when she noticed a door, very different to the one that appeared to her and Fred, previously. This one was made of weathered wood. She carefully looked around, checking that the corridor was clear, and slowly approached it. She tentatively placed her hand on the door, affirming to herself that it was real. She closed her eyes, swallowed the lump in her throat, and turned the knob.

As soon as she stepped inside, she could tell that this room was not the same as the one she had entered with Fred. This one was almost staged. It was completely empty save for one book on a pedestal. A light shone down from, seemingly, nowhere and illuminated the book. Arden approached it, her hands shaking in anticipation. But, upon reading the title, Arden felt cheated. The book the room was presenting to her was Hogwarts: A History. Upon closer inspection, Arden saw that one of the pages was dog-eared. She turned to the page and saw Helga Hufflepuff smiling up at her. 

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

 

That Saturday, Arden was standing, quite bored, in line for all of the Heads of House to check the students' passes to Hogsmeade. Cedric kept glancing over from the Hufflepuff line towards her, seemingly anxious. Arden, however, was exasperated because all of the Heads of Houses knew that Arden was clear to go, so having her wait was merely a formality. But, she didn't see the need to go over their passes every single time they left for Hogsmeade. It would be much more efficient if they just took a list of who was allowed to go and remove whomever wasn't. She understood the logic behind their method, but she thought hers to be much more streamlined.

Almost an hour later, everyone was cleared for passage to Hogsmeade, and Cedric ran over to stand next to Arden as they made their way to the small village.

"So, Arden, what do you want to do first? We could go to Madame Puddifoot's, the Three Broomsticks, take a walk over by the Shrieking Shack-"

"How about Zonko's and then Honeydukes? If you want to get Butterbeer later, we can go to the Three Broomsticks. I need to get Fred and George their birthday presents, their birthday is only a few days away," Arden mentioned, pulling her list out of her bag, "I also wanted to stop by Tomes and Scrolls for a few books…"

Cedric's mood fell just a tad, but he figured that Arden knew what she was doing. She did say that she needed to get the twins birthday presents, and their birthday was coming up. They’d have time for date activities after she finished her shopping. 

When they reached Zonko's, Arden ran off from Cedric's side to go ogle over some pranking thing that Cedric honestly did not care much for. But, he enjoyed seeing the excited expression on her face. He liked seeing her smile, which was one reason that he liked having private Transfiguration lessons with her. He loved her smile, seeing her proud of him. But, he decided that pretending to be bad at Transfiguration was getting strenuous on him, especially seeing that he was starting to compete with her for top spot (grades wise, at least).

"Oi, Diggory," Cedric turned around only to come face to face with Graham Montague.

Cedric, ever the nice guy, greeted him politely, "Afternoon, Montague."

The Slytherin boy nodded over at Arden, "You out with Grayson?"

Cedric shrugged, "Yeah, why do you ask?”

Montague smirked, “Think I can have her next?”

Cedric glared, his kind-hearted nature suddenly fell away, “She’s not some object that can just be handed off to someone, you know. She’s a person, and she’s someone who deserves respect! Go crawl back to whatever rock you slithered out from.”

Montague was about to retort when Arden skipped over, "Hey Cedric, I got everything! Sorry I took so…Oh," the Ravenclaw stopped short when she saw Montague, "Hey, Montague. How're you?"

"'m fine." The boy took in Grayson's general appearance. She was dressed in Muggle attire, obviously. She was wearing a loose-fitting jean dress with a tan braided belt around her waist, and strappy sandals to match. Her hair was left loose, falling around her in loose waves, curling at the ends below her belt. She looked like something out of a catalogue. Montague had to have her, but he wasn't about to do anything in public, so he decided a snarky comment was the best route to go. Maybe if she saw what a loser Diggory was then she'd go for a real man, like him. "Grayson, when you decide to ditch this loser, come find me. I'll show you a good time," he tossed in a wink for good measure and left the shop.

Arden sighed, "He's such a creep. Beat him for me in the next match, Cedric, will you?" She looked up at her friend with her large amber eyes.

Cedric almost lost it. He kept his composure, though, thankfully, "Yeah, Arden, of course. Just for you." He cleared his throat, "Shall we head over to Honeydukes?"

Arden grinned, "Yeah, let's!"

 

 

"Here, Arden," Cedric smiled, giving Arden a bag of Fizzing Whizbees, her favorite Wizard candy.

Arden was slightly baffled, "But, Ced, these are the only thing you bought…" She trailed off, holding her own heavy bag of candy for the twins.

He smiled, "I know, I bought them for you."

Arden beamed, hugging him around his waist, "Thanks, Ced, you're so sweet!" She then checked her list, “Well, all that’s left on my list is to visit Tomes and Scrolls and see if they have these books I’ve been wanting. I think one of them could really help you with Transfiguration!”

Cedric was stunned, “You were looking into books for me?”

Arden brushed off the question as they left the shop, “Yeah, of course. I want to make sure you do well, Ced. I’m sure you’d do the same for me if I needed help.” 

Cedric’s face was flushed. This girl had no idea what she did to him.

 

 

As it would turn out, allowing Arden free-reign in a bookstore was a mistake. They spent the remainder of the day in Tomes and Scrolls, and didn’t have enough time to make it to the Three Broomsticks before the professors rounded everyone up to head back to the castle. Cedric, ever the gentleman, offered to carry Arden’s two bags of books…again, a mistake on his part. While Arden seemed to be able to carry them just fine, Cedric underestimated how heavy the books really were. But, he put on a brave-face, and helped Arden all the way up to Ravenclaw Tower. 

The brunette took the bags from him, when they reached the bronze knocker, and put them on the floor. She gave him a quick hug, “Thanks for today, Ced. I had a really great time!”

He chuckled and scratched the back of his neck, “I did too. Maybe we can do this again sometime?”

Arden beamed, “Of course!” She turned around, picked up the bags, and used the knocker.

“From where do conjured objects appear?” the knocker sang.

Arden thought for a moment. The matter has to come from somewhere…that’s it! “From nonbeing, which is to say, everything.”

The knocker hummed, “Well put,” before opening a smidge, allowing Arden in but preventing Cedric from seeing inside. 

She turned to face her friend, and smiled. “See you later, Ced.” she chimed, before opening the passage into the Common Room with her foot and stepping through. It closed behind her. 

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

 

A few weeks later, Arden was following Quirrell around the castle with the secret passage ways the map had laid out for her. She was suspicious of his actions. He had been sneaking to the restricted section of the library quite often, reading things about prolonging life (even going so far as to read about drinking unicorn blood) and reviving the dead (something that was impossible to do, according to Arden's knowledge). He'd even been researching a bit of alchemy.

He'd ducked into the right hand third floor corridor earlier that evening, a section restricted to everyone except for Dumbledore and a few select staff members. When he ran out, he was out of breath and terrified. He sprinted all the way down to the first floor. Arden was taking note of everything she'd seen over the course of her time following Quirrell so that she could report her findings to McGonagall and Grandpa Albus, maybe even Snape if she felt brave enough.

Suddenly, Quirrell opened the door to go outside and closed it behind himself, making it so that Arden couldn't follow him anymore. She hadn't been paying much attention behind herself, getting tunnel vision following the sorry excuse for a DADA professor, so when she tried to open the door to follow him, "We're out of bed late, aren't we, Arden?"

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

 

"You have detention?” George was appalled.

"Shut up, Weasel Brains. I was out of bed late doing my Potions' essay, I told you," Arden snapped, walking to Minnie's office for "detention". She already knew that she was just going to get an earful and be let go. Minnie was never horridly strict with her at school, as their time together was limited. "Where did you say Fred was, again?"

George laughed, knowing he'd have to lie to their friend, as Fred was still reeling from Arden rejecting Cedric a few weeks back, "In the hospital wing. He got a stomachache after dinner. You know how Madame Pomfrey is." She nodded, accepting the excuse. Suddenly, a thought occurred to him, "Did you hear that Harry and Ron got detention? They had to serve it with Hagrid the other day. You know, the night that you got detention."

"Really? Harry and Ron got detention the night I got caught out of bed?" Wait, she thought. "Where did they go with Hagrid?"

George pondered, "I think Ron mentioned the Forbidden Forest? Something about Hagrid wanting to find out what was going on with the unicorns all dying and something drinking their blood. Harry said he saw something and got saved by a Centaur."

Arden's eyes widened in shock, recalling something she had read over Quirrell's shoulder. She had to tell someone. Thankfully, they had reached Minnie's office, "Well, here we are. Thanks for walking me, Georgie."

"Any time, you artless, bat-fouling, baggage!"

Arden laughed, "I have to go, thou goatish, half-faced, foot-licker!" She moved to open the door, "See you later."

She opened the door and walked in, seeing Minnie working on something at her desk, obviously upset with her goddaughter. Arden knew that she had really angered her godmother, as she didn't even greet Arden as she walked in. She sat down, mentally preparing for the chewing out of her life.

It was almost an hour before Minerva even chose to acknowledge her. She stood up and walked around the desk, conjured a chair and sat next to Arden. "You know that I'm disappointed in you," Minerva stated simply. Arden nodded, knowing that speaking was a bad idea at the time. "You know that you're not supposed to be out of bed, let alone in that part of the castle." Arden again nodded, balling up her fists and hating that Minnie was using her sad parent voice. She hated that voice, it made her stomach drop below her feet. "I know you know that. So, why did you blatantly go against that? I expect better of you. Explain yourself."

Arden's hands were shaking by that point, she hated disappointing Minnie. Minnie was the world to her; the sun rose and fell because her godmother told it to. She was holding herself together, knowing that she'd have to come clean, and it was going to sound even worse than what she had already done. "I was following Professor Quirrell. I don't think he's right…" she mumbled, hoping that that would suffice.

"Arden, you know that I hate mumbling."

She spoke up, but barely. Her voice was small, "I was…was following Professor Quirrell. I don't think he's right…"

"Don't think he's right?" Minerva almost mocked.

"I…" Arden gathered herself a bit, "I think that he's going after something, or working for someone bad," she clarified, "He ran out of the castle, and went into the third floor right hand corridor, and has been reading stuff from the restricted section on all kinds of dark magic!"

"Reading stuff on dark magic, like you do, Arden? He's a Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor, of course he's going to be reading up on dark magic!"

She tried to justify her beliefs, "But Minnie, he read stuff darker than I do! He was reading on prolonging life and bringing people back, and-"

"Arden, enough. We're not talking about him, we're talking about you," Minerva cut her off. "You broke several rules, one of which Dumbledore put in place to protect you, and you just talked back to a teacher. Yes," she held up her hand, stopping Arden from interrupting her, "I am your godmother, but right now I am your teacher. And, as your teacher, you did talk back to me by attempting to justify your actions by villainizing another member of staff."

Arden nodded, looking down at her lap, "I'm sorry, Professor McGonagall."

McGonagall sighed, "But," Arden looked up, hearing the change in her tone of voice, "As this is your first official offense, I think that having you organize my file cabinet is enough, don't you?"

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

 

It was the end of June, and Arden was sitting in the third floor corridor with the twins near the end of the night, attempting to teach them some History of Magic.

"See, and then the Goblins ransacked the cave-" Arden stopped, due to her notes flying away. Someone had run down the hall towards the forbidden corridor, and, judging from the turban bobbing away, Arden guessed it was Quirrell. Well, she thought, if Minnie didn't believe her, she'd have to take it to Dumbledore. "Fred, George, do you guys want to take my notes and review on your own for a bit? I just remembered I told my godmother I'd write her today."

They nodded, "Of course, can we keep them?"

"If I get them back when I ask. Thanks," she said, taking the inkwell and quill that Fred offered up to her whilst she was gathering her things. She sprinted from their study spot to the owlry. She knew that her Grandpa Albus was on a trip somewhere, he wouldn't give her the details, but he had to know her suspicions. She quickly scribbled down everything that she saw him doing, reading, and the whole situation between what she saw happening and how Harry saw someone drinking a unicorn's blood. She found the quickest owl they had, knowing it from experience, and sent it off to find Dumbledore.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

 

Arden made her way to the End of Year Feast, thankful that she managed to make it through exams, and that Dumbledore came back early because of her letter, thank you very much. She knew that she did well on her exams, and she only had to wait for her results.

Before the feast started, they had to wait for Dumbledore's announcements. And, before that happened, Harry walked into the room, finally out of the hospital wing. That, of course, started people talking about him, staring at him, the whole deal. Thankfully, Dumbledore stood up and calmed everyone's babbling down.

"Another year gone!" Dumbledore said cheerfully. "And I must trouble you with an old man's wheezing waffle before we sink our teeth into our delicious feast. What a year it has been! Hopefully your heads are all a little fuller than they were... you have the whole summer ahead to get them nice and empty before next year starts...

"Now, as I understand it, the house cup here needs awarding, and the points stand thus: In fourth place, Gryffindor, with three hundred and twelve points; in third, Hufflepuff, with three hundred and fifty-two; Ravenclaw has four hundred and twenty-six and Slytherin, four hundred and seventy- two." A storm of cheering and stamping broke out from the Slytherin table. "Yes, Yes, well done, Slytherin," said Dumbledore. "However, recent events must be taken into account." The room went very still. The Slytherins' smiles faded a little. "Ahem," said Dumbledore. "I have a few last-minute points to dish out. Let me see. Yes...

"First - to Mr. Ronald Weasley... for the best-played game of chess Hogwarts has seen in many years, I award Gryffindor house fifty points."

Gryffindor cheers nearly raised the bewitched ceiling; the stars overhead seemed to quiver. Percy could be heard telling the other prefects, "My brother, you know! My youngest brother! Got past McGonagall's giant chess set!"

At last there was silence again.

"Second - to Miss Hermione Granger... for the use of cool logic in the face of fire, I award Gryffindor house fifty points." Gryffindors up and down the table were beside themselves - they were a hundred points up.

"Third - to Mr. Harry Potter..." said Dumbledore. The room went deadly quiet, "...for pure nerve and outstanding courage, I award Gryffindor house sixty points." The din was deafening. Those who could add up while yelling themselves hoarse knew that Gryffindor now had four hundred and seventy-two points, exactly the same as Slytherin. They had tied for the house cup – if only Dumbledore had given Harry just one more point.

Dumbledore raised his hand. The room gradually fell silent. "There are all kinds of courage," said Dumbledore, smiling. "It takes a great deal of bravery to stand up to our enemies, but just as much to stand up to our friends. I therefore award ten points to Mr. Neville Longbottom." Someone standing outside the Great Hall might well have thought some sort of explosion had taken place, so loud was the noise that erupted from the Gryffindor table.

"Which means, Dumbledore called over the storm of applause, for even Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff were celebrating the downfall of Slytherin, "...we need a little change of decoration." He clapped his hands. In an instant, the green hangings became scarlet and the silver became gold; the huge Slytherin serpent vanished and a towering Gryffindor lion took its place.

Snape was shaking Professor McGonagall's hand, with a horrible, forced smile. Arden grinned, this sort of thing could ONLY happen at Hogwarts.


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TRIGGER WARNING  
> TRIGGER WARNING  
> TRIGGER WARNING  
> TRIGGER WARNING  
> TRIGGER WARNING  
> TRIGGER WARNING  
> TRIGGER WARNING  
> IF YOU ARE TRIGGERED BY SEXUAL ASSAULT, PLEASE SKIP THIS CHAPTER, AND I WILL GIVE A TLDR AT THE END! 
> 
> Are we warned enough? Yes? Good.

Arden was walking to the closest muggle grocer’s with a shopping list in her hand, as well as Minnie’s Muggle charge card in her jean pocket. Her godmother didn’t want Arden holing herself up in their flat all summer. So, she decided to send her off on a few errands. The teenager was 14. She could handle some simple tasks now and again. After all, the shop was only a twenty-minute walk from their flat. What could go wrong?

Arden reached the store, and started shopping. First object on the list was seasonally appropriate fruit, which meant berries and citrus. Next was cheese, bread, pasta... She headed over to the deli-counter and pulled a ticket number. Arden’s thoughts trailed off. That blond boy waiting in cue the deli counter…he looked awfully familiar…Well, what she could see of him, at least. He was tall, his neck was freckled, and his hair was curly as could be. His body was slightly non-proportioned, but that could be expected given he looked to be around her age; puberty did that to people. Though, from the way his body type looked, he was on his way to being well built; tall, broad shouldered, and narrow hips. He finally turned around, after receiving whatever he ordered, and took notice of her. He beamed, seeming to recognize her. 

“Arden!” The boy cantered over, “It’s been a while!”

Her eyes widened, mouth dropping open in surprise, “Dan?” She verified.

He laughed, smiling from his eyes, “Yeah, it’s me. Man, you haven’t changed a bit!”

She shook her head, “You got tall!” She barely reached his shoulder.

“Number 41!” The deli counter employee called out. Arden checked her number. Oh, she was 41. 

She walked up to the counter, “Good afternoon!” She greeted, “May I get sixteen ounces of asiago, eight ounces of gruyere, and thirty-two ounces of smoked turkey, please?”

While the deli worker began preparing her order, she turned her attention back to Dan. “So, how’ve you been? What have you been up to?”

“I’ve been doing well. I go to Smeltings, now. You disappeared when we got to grade 5. What happened?”

She shrugged, “My godmother transferred me over to the boarding school that she works at. It just so happens that my parents went there, as well.”

“Oh, do you like it? Maybe I can convince my parents to send me over there. Get the two of us back together, eh?” he nudged her shoulder with his. 

She chuckled, “Sorry to break this to you, but it’s a pretty exclusive school. My parents had me on the list from the day I was born.”

His brown eyes glimmered with mischief, “Wow, so elitist. I guess you really haven’t changed,” he joked. 

“Thank you!” Arden said to the deli worker, taking her order and placing it in her shopping basket. She checked another item off of the list. She was about halfway finished. She asked Dan, “Do you have much more shopping to do?”

“Yeah, a bit. My mum sent me with a whole two pages,” he complained. “Say, do you want to shop together? My mum’s going to be picking me up in an hour. She’d probably be willing to drive you home. Unless your godmother is picking you up, of course.”

Arden smiled, “That’d be great!”

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

 

Arden was just putting the finishing touches on her Ancient Runes assignment when their muggle-phone rang. She jumped up, knowing who was calling, and ran into the kitchen. She picked up the phone and recited, from habit, “Hello, McGonagall-Grayson residence.”

“Arden, you really don’t need to say that every time, do you?”

She rolled her eyes, knowing fully well that he couldn’t see it. She sarcastically teased, “Yes, I do, Daniel. Unlike someone I know. I was raised with manners.”

“Oof, that cut deep, love,” he laughed, “So, I’ve got two tickets to see that new vampire movie. Want to come?”

Looking back at the kitchen table, Arden measured out, in her head, how long it would take her to finish her assignment. “What time is the movie?”

“Uh…for six. We can get candy and popcorn, too! My mum gave me double my allowance this week!”

“What for?” she prompted, checking the time. She had four and a half hours to get her assignment done. She could do that. She was so close to finishing, anyway. 

He replied in a smug tone, “Because I did the dishes, vacuumed the sitting room, folded the laundry, and washed our dog without being asked.”

She smirked, “That’s all? You’re so lazy, Daniel.”

“OI!”

Laughing, she said, “I can go, but I have to finish one of my summer assignments first. Pick me up at five-thirty?”

“Oh, yeah! Ok! See you then!”

 

Jump-scare movies were, by far, Arden’s least favorite type of film. But, Dan seemed to love them. So, as he offered to pay for everything, Arden figured she’d push through it. It was only fair. Another scary thing popped up on screen, Arden jumped. She hid her face in the hoodie she borrowed from Dan.

Dan glanced over at her. She wasn’t paying attention to him. Perfect. He did “the old yawn and stretch”, and wrapped his arm around her shoulders. She flinched, and turned to face him, knocking his arm off. He sheepishly smiled and turned back to the movie. A few minutes later, another monster popped up and killed a secondary character. Arden jumped, squeaked a little, and hid herself in the hoodie. Dan tried, once again, to get his arm around her. This time, she seemed to, either, not notice it or not care. Either way, he counted it as a success. 

Not soon enough, in Arden’s opinion, the film finally concluded. She and Dan walked out of the theatre, and met his mum at the front of the cinema.

Tracy Smith was a taller woman. Arden’s head reached just above her collarbone. She had long, straight, chestnut brown hair, and brown eyes to match. She had a light dusting of freckles across each of her high cheekbones, but was otherwise unblemished. She always wore a mahogany lipstick, and subtle, neutral toned, makeup. She was the Chief Financial Officer of one of the largest law offices in London; and she dressed like it. Arden had never seen her outside of a pantsuit. 

At the moment, she was sat at one of the tables near the concessions counter, and was clearly working on something. Arden looked over her shoulder and saw a lot of graphs and figures that she did not understand. Upon closer inspection, she saw that Ms. Smith had made an error in one of her calculations, which led to multiple others being incorrect. 

“Um, Ms. Smith…” she gestured to the figure in question, “That’s wrong. You forgot to square this before dividing…” 

The woman gave her a rare smile, “You, likely, just saved my job.” 

Arden shrugged, “That’s easier than what I’m doing in my Arithma-“ she caught her self, and corrected her pronunciation, “Arithmetic class.”

She turned to, and accused, son, “Why didn’t you notice the error?”

Dan held his hands up defensively, “Sorry, mum, you normally get angry if I look at your work.”

She packed up her briefcase, ignoring her son, and organizing it as she went. “Alright, Arden, let’s get you home.” She stood up, car keys in hand, and led the teens out of the cinema. Dan hung just behind Arden. She hadn’t taken off his hoody yet, and he hoped she wouldn’t. She looked awfully good in his clothes…

 

 

The next day, Dan called the McGonagall-Grayson house, once again. “So, Arden, what do you want to do today?” Dan asked.

She glanced over to the kitchen table, seeing the absolute mountain of books she had borrowed from the library (via Minnie) for her History of Magic paper, and her potions assignment. She sighed, knowing she had a long day – possibly two – ahead of her, “Summer assignments, unfortunately.”

Dan whined, “But, Arden, we’re young! We should be out doing stuff!”

Arden rolled her eyes, “I need to get these assignments finished before the second week of August. I promised my godmother.”

“What’s happening the second week of August?”

Arden smiled, getting excited, “That’s when I go over to my friends’, Fred and George’s, house. They invite me over, every year, for the last two weeks before start of term. We go out into their garden, play sports on the field behind their house, prank their siblings, plan pranks for the year, it’s always loads of fun!”

“Are either of these guys your boyfriend?” Dan asked in, a strangely, controlled monotone. 

She scratched behind her neck, “Well, no. We’re all just best friends. We met on the train to school in our first year.”

“Just friends, you promise?”

“Yes, Dan,” she reassured, “We’re just friends.” She checked the time, “I’ve got to go and finish this homework. Speak later?”

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

 

Two days later, without calling first, Dan showed up on Arden’s doorstep. “Dan…what are you doing here?”

He grinned, “We’re going to hang out! You’ve been cooped up in here for far too long, I think! I have such a great day planned for us! We’re gonna go take a ride on the London Eye, and then to this great fish and chips spot by Canvey Island, and maybe take a walk down by the water-“

Arden interrupted, “I’m going to have to stop you there. I am far too busy with summer assignments to just stop now and go out to do whatever.”

Dan stopped, and then smirked, pushing past her and into the flat, “Then I’ll just have to come in and keep you company.”

She internally fumed, before slamming the door shut, and chasing after him, “Dan, you can’t just do that! I didn’t say it was ok. I could get you arrested for breaking and entering!”

“But, you’d never do that, would you? You love me,” He smoothly stated, flopping onto the couch. Seeing her irritated gaze sending knives his way, he held up his hands, “I promise I won’t bug you. I just want to keep you company. I can tell you’re getting lonely cooped up here all day.”

Arden scoffed and crossed her arms, “I’m not. I have Mercutio.”

Dan raised an eyebrow, “Who’s Mercutio?”

As if by magic, the cat appeared from under the couch. Arden sighed in exasperation while bending down to pick up the cat, “How many times have Minnie and I told you to not go under the couch? Look at you, you’re covered in dust.” She set him on the coffee table, and attempted to brush the dust off of his fur with her hands.

Dan’s jaw dropped, “I didn’t know you had a cat! When did that happen?”

This caught Mercutio’s attention. He faced Dan; his tail held in a low diagonal angle, ears were held almost flat against his head, his back arched, all of the hairs on his body stood on end, and he was growling. Arden was shocked. He had never acted like that before. 

“Mercutio, what has gotten into you?” Arden asked the cat, knowing he would give some form of answer.

He didn’t even react to his mistress speaking to him. He, for whatever reason, seemed to want Dan as far from their flat as possible. He spat, and continued growling. He started to stalk towards Dan, his claws extended.

The boy didn’t even seem to react, “I don’t think your cat likes me much, Arden…Should I leave?”

Arden nodded, “I think that would be best.”

 

 

A few weeks later found Arden, alone, in the kitchen. Minnie was off at Hogwarts, taking care of her Deputy Headmistress duties. Arden, however, was in the midst of writing letters to Fred and George, Hermione, Cedric, and Lee. Her friends were all wondering how Arden was; as she had not had a chance to write to them, what with how much Dan had been around and completing her summer assignments. She finally had a free moment to herself, and she was taking full advantage of it. Though, she chose to write on normal Muggle paper, and with a normal Muggle pen. She liked using quills and parchment, but they got so expensive. Anytime she could, she’d reach for her Muggle writing utensils any day. 

First on her list was Hermione. The girl was, apparently, struggling with her own summer assignments, and was asking for several details for each assignment. Much like she did with the information on Nicholas Flamel, she gave Hermione suggestions for books, which she knew to have the information Hermione was looking for. Hermione also wanted suggestions for books for casual reading. Arden gave her, at least, one for a few of different genres; namely: fiction, science fiction, autobiographies of different wizards (namely Hairy Snout, Human Heart), and books detailing rare and dangerous magical creatures. 

Next up was Lee, who was gushing about that current Quidditch season, and asked her if she was planning on playing that year. She, honestly, hadn’t even thought about it. Sure, she loved Quidditch. She missed playing it. But, did she want to take on that responsibility again? She wrote back that she’d be thinking about it, but she was not sure. 

Cedric had written asking if she’d like to make a trip to Diagon Alley with him. She thought it was a good idea, and was in the midst of writing back when there was a knock at their flat door. 

She stood up, walked over, and opened the door, already knowing who it was. “Dan, how many times have I told you to call before coming over?”

The blond boy pushed past her and into the kitchen as he answered, “Does it really matter if I come over anyway? I just want to keep you company. Your cat is in your room, right?” 

Arden shrugged, closing the door behind her, “He does what he wants. Don’t blame me if he tries anything.” She sat back at the table and continued writing.

He leaned over, trying to read the letter, “Who’re Cedric, and Lee?”

“Friends of mine.”

“Boyfriends?”

“Yes, Daniel. My friends are male.”

He leaned back and pouted, “You never wrote me letters.”

“I didn’t know you could read,” Arden retorted in a snarky tone. 

“Oi!”

Arden giggled, and kept writing. Her reply to Cedric was short and sweet; a time, date, and place to meet up in Diagon Alley. She took her letter from the twins off of the table and tried to read it, but was, once again, interrupted by Dan.

“What sort of paper is this?” he asked, holding Cedric’s letter.

“Parchment, it’s made of animal skin.”

“Why do all of your friends use it?”

Arden shrugged, “It’s a popular thing in my school. It’s sturdier than traditional paper, and has a nice feel to it.” It seemed like Fred and George were just sending out their ‘formal invitation’ to Arden to stay for the last two weeks before term. 

“That your boyfriend again?”

“No, Daniel,” Arden rolled her eyes, “My friends, George and Fred, had to send me an invite to stay over. I told you about this a few weeks ago; remember?” 

“Oh, you’re ‘staying over’, are you?” He said sarcastically, making airquotes. “I’m so sure they actually think of you as a friend, since you’re ‘staying over’.”

She gave him a side-eye, “What do you mean by that…?”

Dan gestured at her, “Look at you. You’re a gorgeous girl, and far out of any average-bloke’s league. I’m sure they want more from you, who wouldn’t?”

She slowly clarified, “You mean to say, that my best friends just want me over to, potentially, sleep with me?”

“Uh, doy. Arden,” he leaned forward, resting his arms on the table, “Level with me here. I’m the same age as your friends, right? That means I know how the average bloke thinks. I’m being serious when I say, we all think with our pocket rockets. No guy can ever be ‘just friends’ with a girl. It’s impossible.”

 

 

 

Arden had finished her summer assignments by the end of the second week of August, and was taking the night off before her trip to Diagon Alley with Cedric. The day following that, she was going over to the Burrow. Dan had invited her over for a movie night, which she accepted, knowing that she probably wouldn’t be seeing him until the following summer. 

Arden was dressed in an oversized grey t-shirt, which hung off one of her shoulders so that one of her beige bra straps were showing, a pair of ripped, acid-washed, skinny jeans, and dark blue trainers. The shirt had some sort of yellow smiley face, its eyes were X's and it had its tongue sticking out. She, unlike many girls their age, had chosen to completely forgo makeup, preferring the completely natural look. Her olive toned skin was in full-unabashed view, and her cheeks had become speckled with freckles.

They were sitting on his bed, watching a cute movie about an alien on Earth. The design of the alien was sort of weird. It looked like an old, wrinkly, potato had a baby with a raisin. 

Dan looked over at Arden, studying how much his childhood friend had grown up, and how much he hadn’t. Most of his friends had had a multitude of girlfriends, a few already bragging about their sexual conquests. He wanted to be one of them; the early bloomers, the experienced guys, the ones who had sexy arm-candy. He was sure that Arden, someone who went to this special school that only accepted those who applied from birth, would help him get there. He knew that she cared for him. Plus, he was a guy, she was a girl; they could never be just friends. She was leaving to go back to school in two days. It needed to happen yesterday. He was decided. That night, it would happen. The movie, as if on cue, ended. 

She looked over at him, smiling. “That was a good movie. Corny as anything, but good.”

He said nothing, turning so that his legs framed hers, and pinned her to the bed. He grabbed her face, and kissed her, forcibly.

Arden squeaked in surprise, and tried to push him off. She hit his chest, his arms, his head, anything she could reach. When she bit his lips hard enough for her to tate blood, he pulled away, grabbed her arms by her wrists, and pinned them above her head with one hand.

“You bitch.” He spat, blood spraying on her face, “You know you want this, quit pretending you don’t,” he growled, kissing her neck, letting his free hand explore.

Arden screamed, “Get the hell off of me! Let me go!” She struggled against his hold. He straddled her hips, blocking her from doing much other than squirming. She kicked her legs against his bed, hoping the movement would help her slip from underneath him.

“Come on, I know what game you were playing, talking about those guy friends you have. You wanted to make me jealous. Letting me know you stay over at those twins’ house every summer for weeks; you little slut. You let them have a piece of the pie and don’t even save some for me?” He punctuated his statement by groping at her chest. His grip tightened, painfully, on her wrists. 

“It isn’t like that!” Arden cried, “I told you, they’re just friends!” She tried pulling her arms out of his grip, to no avail. He gripped her wrists tighter. She was sure he had bruised them.

“Yeah, sex friends.” He grabbed the neck of her large t-shirt and ripped one side open, revealing more of her chest. “Look at you. Why hide such a nice treat from me?” He licked a stripe from her sternum to below her right ear, “You know, you want this. Quit fighting, just let it happen.” He let his free hand wander down to palm between her legs.

She felt something hard against her stomach, and knew it wasn’t there before. “Get! Off! Let me go! I don’t want this!” She cried, tears streaming down her face. She felt his hand trail up to the button of her jeans, pop it open, and slip inside. He had started biting at her neck. What was it she was supposed to scream out? “Rape! Rape! Rape!” She screamed as loud as she possibly could. 

Her hands fell free as he slapped her across the face. “Shut up. Shut up!” He growled, holding her chin. He had his face so close to hers. Too close.

His door opened, “Arden, your godmother is on the porch. Time to go,” Ms. Smith said, standing in his doorway.

Her sudden presence seemed to shock Dan enough that Arden was able to break out from under him, and began to run to the front door. Before she could get there, though, Ms. Smith caught her by one of her bruised wrists.

“If one word of whatever happened leaves this vicinity, I will make it disappear. I have that power, you know. I will do whatever it takes to keep Daniel’s record spotless for his future. Do I make myself clear?” She tightened her grip. Her manicured nails dug painfully deep into Arden’s wrist. 

Arden nodded, “Yes.” She let the girl go, watching to make sure she didn’t look back. Arden opened the front door, ran to Minnie, and buried her face in her godmother’s jacket. She was sobbing, but Minnie managed to make out, “Can we go home, please?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TLDR FOR THOSE WHO HAD TO SKIP THIS CHAPTER:  
> Arden runs into her old friend Dan (see chapter 3) in the supermarket. They start hanging out, and he acts jealous around her. Two days before she heads to the Burrow, he assaults her in his bedroom. His mum makes sure Arden knows that, if anything is brought up against her son, she (as CFO of a large legal company) can make it go away.
> 
>  
> 
> I AM SORRY THIS TOOK SO LONG TO GET OUT! School has been ROUGH! Also, this is a shorter chapter, because plot dictated it to be so. But, the next chapter will be an emotionally charged one, and I am so excited for it. I CANNOT wait to write the next three chapters! They're gonna be great, and you all will hate me even more than you do now!
> 
> Also, also, PLEASE LEAVE COMMENTS/REVIEWS! I LIVE FOR THEM!!!
> 
>  
> 
> ALSO ALSO ALSO [FOLLOW ME ON TUMBLR!](https://nerdykrats.tumblr.com/)  
> Send me requests, or whatever! Give me a follow if you so choose, and I promise I'll follow back! I post updates on the fic's update status sometimes.
> 
> ALSO ALSO ALSO ALSO, CHECK OUT MY FRIEND CICIWEEZIL BECAUSE THEIR STORIES ARE AWESOMESAUCE AND THEY ARE SUPERMEGAFOXYAWESOMEHOT! [THEY ARE MY BETA AND I LOVE THEM!](https://archiveofourown.org/users/CiciWeezil/pseuds/CiciWeezil)


	16. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> School is making it so that I can't get chapters out every week, now...I'll try my best, but expect them closer to every two weeks. This chapter was a lot of fun to write, but THE NEXT ONE IS GOING TO BE A DOOZY. ALL OF THE FEELS! 
> 
>  
> 
> PLEASE LEAVE COMMENTS/REVIEWS! I LIVE FOR THEM!!!
> 
>  
> 
> ALSO [FOLLOW ME ON TUMBLR!](https://nerdykrats.tumblr.com/)  
> Send me requests, or whatever! Give me a follow if you so choose, and I promise I'll follow back! I post updates on the fic's update status sometimes.
> 
> ALSO ALSO, CHECK OUT MY FRIEND CICIWEEZIL BECAUSE THEIR STORIES ARE AWESOMESAUCE AND THEY ARE SUPERMEGAFOXYAWESOMEHOT! [THEY ARE MY BETA AND I LOVE THEM!](https://archiveofourown.org/users/CiciWeezil/pseuds/CiciWeezil)

Minnie, stunned by her goddaughter’s distraught appearance, quickly dragged her down the steps of the porch and behind a bush, where they could safely apparate. Upon appearing in their flat, She tried to set Arden down on their sitting-room couch, but the girl wouldn’t let go.

“No!” Arden whined, clutching her godmother tighter.

The older witch held her goddaughter, and sat down. The teenager, still clutching her robes in a death-grip, straddled her lap. Minnie pet her hair. She hummed for a while, trying to calm Arden down first. As soon as Arden had quieted down some, she, quietly, and in her calmest tone of voice, said, “Love, I need to get Poppy or Severus. I don’t have any healing potions in the flat-” 

Arden went back to her near hysterical state. She sobbed into Minnie’s embrace. She was barely able to make out what Arden was saying. She did catch a, “No!” and a “Snape” relatively close together. 

“You also look like you need a calming draught, and maybe a dreamless sleep potion,” Minnie commented, “Would you like me to get Poppy and Albus?” Arden trembled in her arms, and shook her head furiously. “Do you want me to just get Albus?” Arden shook her head again. “You don’t want me to get Albus?” She was stunned. Arden loved Albus. He had been a staple in her life for so long. “What if I just get Poppy?”

Arden sobbed, begging, “Stay here, please.”

Minnie bit her lip, knowing that she hadn’t used THAT technique since the war ended. But, desperate times call for desperate measures, she assumed. She dug into her cloak and pulled out her wand. She closed her eyes, thinking of the good times she shared with her little family, Elphinstone and Arden. With determination, and a bit of additional magic, she cast the spell, “Expecto patronum.” A silver cat burst from the tip of her wand, and sat, expectantly, in front of her. 

“Poppy, please come to the flat. It is an emergency. Bring a calming draught, and a dreamless sleep potion, while you’re at it,” She recited to the cat. The patronus immediately turned and ran through the window, becoming a blur as it moved faster and faster.

 

 

Minutes later, the fireplace erupted into green flames, and Madam Pomfrey ran out, covered in soot. Taking in the scene before her, she gasped, “Good Merlin, what happened?” She rushed over, her bag filled to near bursting in hand. She knelt down in front of the couch, and placed the back of her hand on Arden’s forehead.

“I’m not sure,” Minerva started, “She was just spending time at her friend’s house. When I went to pick her up, she ran into my arms in a state.” 

Poppy nodded, digging in her bag while she spoke, “I can see why you asked for a calming draught. Yes, about half a vial should do it.” She measured out a proper amount of the dark grey liquid; “I’ll need to simmer this before we give it to her. I brewed it last week for Sybill.” She looked over at McGonagall as she mentioned the Seer, knowing of her distaste for the woman. As she expected, Minerva rolled her eyes and scoffed. Chuckling, she continued, “Said she had a vision that a tragedy would befall the school this term, and started panicking. Severus had some leftover in his stores for the OWL and NEWT exams, but that only lasted her a few hours.” She stood up, and hurried over to the kitchen. Moments later, she returned, “It should be ready to be administered in about twenty minutes. In the meantime, I’d like to assess any physical injuries.”

“That will be difficult, seeing as she hasn’t let go of me since we left her friend’s house.”

Poppy harrumphed, “Well, we can’t be having that, can we?” She, firmly but carefully, detached Arden’s arms from Minerva’s person.

Arden sobbed, whining out, “No! Don’t make me! Don’t want to!” and clasped her arms back around Minnie’s neck as quickly as Madam Pomfrey could detach them.

“Arden, really, I need to check you over. It won’t be but a minute. You can cling to your godmother after I make sure you’re ok,” Poppy sternly chided. Sniffling, Arden allowed herself to be pulled off of Minnie. 

The medi-witch startled slightly at how utterly defeated the teenager looked. Her eyes bloodshot and her face red from how much she’d been crying, her cheeks were tearstained, and she was absolutely disheveled. Poppy took note of the obvious bruising on her wrists, and how swollen her lips were, already beginning to fear the worst. She hid her feelings, however, and started her examination with Arden’s head. She silently lit her wand, and checked for a concussion. Finding none, she moved onto her jaw, then down to test her neck mobility. She took note of the torn neck of her shirt and, what appeared to be, bite marks on her clavicle and lower neck. That was another tick on her mental diagnostic list; more support for what she hoped wasn’t the case. She then moved to her chest and torso. 

The teenager flinched when Poppy got close to her breasts; yet another tick. “Arden, are you bruised there?” She gestured to the area in question with her eyes. Arden shifted uncomfortably, hugging herself protectively. The teenager shook her head, turning her gaze down to a patch of carpet. 

Poppy nodded, and moved on with her exam. She noted the bruising on her wrists, and her jeans were undone. Poppy decided to ask the question, “Arden, did your friend do this to you?”

Tears overflowed from Arden’s eyes. She shut her eyes, hoping to stop the flow of tears, and shook with silent sobs. She made a sharp, short, gesture with her head, which Poppy and Minerva took to be a nod. 

Minerva gasped and covered her mouth in shock, tears forming in her eyes. How could she let this happen? She was supposed to protect Arden. She had failed her.

Poppy nodded, standing up, “The calming draught should be about ready,” she commented, “You will be taking it, and then you will be telling me exactly what happened.” She left the room, leaving Arden and McGonagall alone.

Arden quickly turned around, clutching Minnie once more. Minnie grunted from the impact. She lost the hold on her composure when Arden started apologizing into her robes.

“I’m sorry, Minnie. I’m so sorry,” she sobbed over and over, almost as if she was in a trance. 

Minnie pet her head, rocking her back and forth and shushing her as she did so, “Shh, love, what do you have to be sorry about? This wasn’t your fault.” Her protective instincts chose that moment to kick in, “Mark my words, when I get my hands on that boy-“

Arden pulled away, met Minnie’s hardened gaze, and cried, “No! You can’t! His mum said that if we tried anything that she’d just make it go away.” She cast her gaze down once more, “We can’t do anything…We’re powerless against someone so high up in the muggle legal system.”

Poppy hung around the sidewall that separated the sitting room from the kitchen, listening in. She had an idea, but that’d have to wait. She needed to treat her patient first. She walked in, “Arden, I need you to drink every drop of this. I’ll wrap your bruises in bandages soaked in Murtlap Essence. About half an hour should do those, I think,” she handed the teenager the vial, half-filled with the dark grey liquid. Arden took it without hesitation, and that’s when Poppy knew that what had happened damaged the girl’s spirit. Arden absolutely hated the taste of potions. She nodded, acting totally calm and collected. She had to hide her emotions to keep the teenager calm. Patients need calm. “Now then, she started, pulling a roll of bandages out of her bag, “Tell me everything that happened. Leave no detail out.”

 

 

Half an hour later, Arden was asleep due to the dreamless sleep potion. Poppy had hung back, while Minerva put her goddaughter to bed. She walked back to the sitting room, and collapsed on the couch. She held her head in her hands, resting her elbows on her knees. 

“How could I let this happen, Poppy?”

The medi-witch put a bracing hand on her back, “It’s not your fault. You couldn’t have known.”

“I should have never let her be alone with that boy. He disappeared from her life years ago, only to see her ONCE while shopping for groceries, and then he forces her to see him almost every single day? Of course I should have known!”

“Isn’t that similar to what happened between her and those Weasley boys?”

Minerva looked up at her, “What do you mean?”

“The twins see her once at the platform, and they see each other every single day at school. They haven’t tried anything like that, have they?”

She blinked, confusedly, “No, I suppose not…But, they don’t force it on her, like he did.”

Poppy nodded, “Yes, while that is true, she could have called the muggle police on him at any time. You know that. She considered him a friend. One who just wanted to spend more time with her after years apart.”

Minerva bit her lip, “I hate feeling powerless like this. This should have never happened. I should have been there, done something. If I had just gone to pick her up sooner-“

“No!” Poppy interjected, “Don’t think like that. I know Gryffindors are notorious for being loyal and protective. But, there are simply some things that are out of your control!” She took a steadying breath, “Minerva, I know you want nothing but the best for Arden, and that she had to go through this is horrible. But, she is strong enough to overcome this. After all, you raised her. She can’t be anything but strong.” They sat in silence after that for a minute, before Poppy asked, “Are you going to tell Albus? Will Arden be ok with you telling Albus?”

Minerva sighed, leaning back into the couch, “I think I have to tell Albus. To what extent, I’m not sure. Arden would want Albus to know, of course. But, I don’t want to make her live through that experience again.”

“Do you think she would be willing to let him see the memory in his pensive?”

She shook her head, “No, and I don’t believe that Albus would want to see that anyway.”

 

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

 

**The Next Day:**

_Arden,_

_I understand if you don’t want to tell me, but why do you have to cancel our trip to Diagon Alley? I was so looking forward to seeing you before the start of term…_

_Though I am disappointed, I hope that you are doing ok._

_See you at the start of term, I guess. Yours,_

_Cedric Diggory_

 

 

_Arden,_

_Are you sure you’re ok? You always come over before the start of term. Why the sudden rejection? Is everything ok at home? You never really talk about anything there, come to think of it. Is there anything we can do to help? Do you need us to come get you?_

_Your best friends,_

_Fred and George_

 

 

_Arden,_

_Those books you recommended are fabulous! Several of them even contain information that isn’t mentioned in the textbooks! Do you have any more suggestions? I could do with a bit of light reading, and I’d like to get started on some of the subjects we will be covering next term._

_Thank you in advance. Your friend,_

_Hermione Granger_

 

 

 

**The following week:**

_Love,_

_It’s been a week since my last letter, and you haven’t responded. Is everything ok? Are you well? Please let me know, I’m worried about you._

_Yours,_

_Cedric Diggory_

 

 

_Arden,_

_Did Errol drop your letter, or something? He returned last week with nothing. Please, reply with something this time. We’re all worried about you. Please, let us know that you’re safe._

_Your best friend,_

_George_

 

 

_Arden,_

_Please, please don’t shut us out. This isn’t like you. We just want to know that you’re ok. I need to know that you’re ok._

_Yours,_

_Fred_

 

Arden threw the letters off of her bed in irritation. She didn’t want to tell her friends what had happened, just Minnie and Poppy knowing was one too many people already. If she told the twins, they would flip out and never rest until Dan was punished for his actions. If she told Cedric, the boy would, likely, never leave her along again. 

She also didn’t want to write them back because she was just so tired. She was tired of Hermione writing her asking for recommendations, and help with assignments that she hadn’t even gotten yet. She was tired of Fred, George, and Cedric writing her to ask if she was ok. She was tired of just living in general. Her everything was just so achy, tired, and sore; which added to the anxiety and tiredness she had been experiencing for the past week. Her abdomens, especially, was all sore and in knots. She didn't mention anything to Minnie because she was just so, to put it simply, done with everything and everyone. She was very done with existing. She wanted to curl up in a hole under a boulder and just be alone forever.

"Arden," Minnie called from across the flat, "Can you come here?"

Arden didn't reply, preferring to curl further into a fetus position under her duvet. Mercutio seemed to agree that that day was a lie in day, as he cuddled up into the small of her back from atop the comforter.

"Arden," Minerva continued in her no-nonsense tone, "I'm going to count to three." The older witch was annoyed, to say the least. Her goddaughter usually did whatever she asked. What had gotten into her as of late? "One!" she declared. She waited a minute, "Two!" she warned. When Arden didn't appear by two, Minerva walked to the teenager's room. She opened the door on the, "Three!"

Arden's lights were off, and it was almost noon. Even for her introverted teenager, that was strange. Arden was always awake by nine o' clock. She soon figured out why, if the stain on the bed was any indication. Arden was no-where to be seen, but the lump under the grey duvet gave her away, as did the location of Mercutio at the small of her back. She knew that this day would come, and she was glad that this happened in the safety of their flat rather than at Hogwarts. Minerva walked into the room and sat on the bed. She rubbed slow circles onto Arden's back with one hand as she spoke, "I think we need to talk…"

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

 

"Arden, dear," Minerva whispered gently as she shook the brunette's shoulder.

"Noooooooo," Arden whined, flipping onto her stomach so that Minnie couldn't grasp her shoulder.

Minnie exhaled exasperatedly, "Arden, you need to get up. It's September first. You go back to Hogwarts today."

Arden mumbled, "It's ok, education is for the weak."

“Arden…” Minnie trailed off in a warning tone.

The girl sat up, “Do I really have to?”

Minnie sat next to her on the bed, wrapping an arm around her shoulders, “I know it’s only been two weeks, but you can’t let what happened affect you for the rest of your life. If you do that, it’s as if he’s still got a hold over you. You don’t want him in your life now, right?”

Arden shook her head, “No…But, how can I face Cedric, or Hermione, or George, or even Fred after this?”

Minnie kissed the top of her head, rubbing up and down on her arm with her hand, “Simple, you just get up and face them. You don’t have to tell them anything if you’re not ready to relive it, quite yet. Don’t push yourself, and don’t let them push you. Tell them that something in your home-life really affected you, and you aren’t ready to tell them about it just yet.”

Arden was quiet for a moment, enjoying the comfortable silence between herself and Minnie. She missed these times dearly during term. Deciding to break the silence, she cautiously asked, “Did you tell Grandpa Albus?” 

Minnie hummed, “I felt it necessary to let him know what happened, but not the explicit details. If anything were to happen over term, and you ended up traumatized in the Hospital Wing, Albus would need to know.”

“What did you tell him, exactly?”

“Just that a close male muggle friend of yours assaulted you, and that you needed medical attention following the incident. He wanted to pry for more details, but felt it best to have you tell him whenever you’re ready. He said, ‘Whether it be the night upon her return to Hogwarts, or several years from now, I will be willing and able to lend an open ear.’” Arden smiled softly. Her Grandpa Albus was the best. “Now,” Minnie stated in her ‘Mom-voice’, “I think someone needs to get ready to go back to school.”

 

 

Arden made sure to get to the platform early, so that she could find an empty compartment. She, for the first time since the moment the twins joined her on the train in their first year, didn’t want to be around her friends. She wanted to prolong the time until inevitable confrontation as much as possible. She was dressed in an over-sized, black and white, tie-dye hoodie, with the hood pulled up, dark wash jean capris, her favorite dark red skater trainers, and an oversized graphic t-shirt. She had the hood pulled up, and it hid her face from view. 

She kept her eyes on the ground in front of her, making sure no one would be able to see her face, and pushed her cart, holding her trunk and Mercutio, in front of her. She reached one of the open doors on the train, and took Mercutio in first. She set his cage on one of the bench-seats, and went back out to get her trunk. She wasn’t used to forcing her trunk inside the train on her own. Fred and George always helped her. She shook those thoughts out of her head, knowing she couldn’t let them see her. She, eventually, got her trunk on the train, and pushed it into her chosen compartment and locked the door behind her. 

Making sure she was invisible to everyone was easier than the thought, and it gave her time alone for the first time in months. Before…the incident…Dan had never left her alone. After the incident, Minnie hadn’t left her alone. Granted, for the first few days, Arden didn’t want her godmother to leave her alone. But, she needed the alone time. The only people she was absolutely sure she could trust were Minnie, Poppy, and Mercutio. She needed to work through everything…She’d start with Cedric.

Ced was her friend, her pupil to an extent. He was such a nice guy, and really seemed to care about her. But, did he only care about her because of her appearance and her sex? She was a girl, and Dan said that her friends were only her friends because she looked nice. Did he actually care about her, or only what she could theoretically provide? He saw that she was good at transfiguration, so he asked her to tutor him. They had spent many late nights alone together, her struggling to help him learn the theory and practice of her favorite subject. If he were going to do anything, he’d have done so already…right? She’d trust Ced, for now. 

Hermione seemed a bit clingy, and she certainly wanted reassurance and help on multiple subjects. But, she was a genuine person. She openly cared for people, and supported them when given the chance. She stuck to her beliefs, and that was that. She was trustworthy.

Lee, Arden knew, wasn’t on her immediate trust-list. She had never been alone with him, and he really only hung around her because of the twins. He had even made some comments in the past, that she took as a joke before. He was on thin-ice. 

George, he such a sweetheart. He was willing to lend a shoulder for her to cry on if she ever needed it. He was the, slightly, more sensitive of the twins. He tended to think things through just a bit more than his brother, but he was also more likely to hide things than Fred. Again, she hadn’t been alone with him for more than a moment at a time. She chose to not trust him.

Now, the hard one: Fred. He was nice to people he cared for. He wore his heart on his sleeve, and never made anyone question if he cared for them. He was quicker-witted than his brother, and less openly sensitive. He would get an idea, and immediately do whatever it took to make it come to fruition. He was hard-headed, determined, and…and…Arden had never been alone with him, save for that one time in the Room of Requirement. What would have happened if they were alone without Fred worrying about his brother? Arden came to the difficult conclusion that Fred couldn’t be trusted. He was too unpredictable. She used to love that about him. Now…she was scared of it. She was glad that they had given her the map back then.


	17. Chapter 17

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> OMFG GUYS, MY BETA IS UP FOR THE SHRIEKING SHACK MARAUDER MEDALS!!! AAAAAH, PLEASE, PLEASE VOTE FOR CICI'S TAKE A LOOK THROUGH MY EYES FIC!!!! THEY DESERVE ALL THE THINGS BECAUSE THEY'RE AMAZING!!! <3 I AM SO PROUD OF THEM!!! 
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**Notes for the Chapter:**

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Arden stared out the window of her compartment, absently petting Mercutio, who was comfortably resting in her lap. He hadn’t left her alone since the incident. She had heard that animals had a special sixth sense for people, but she didn’t believe it until recently. She knew that Mercutio trusted Fred and George, but she was still going to play it safe and just not interact with them. Well, she thought, not petting Mercutio for a moment, she wouldn’t interact with them until they gave her a good reason to believe that they wouldn’t hurt her. 

She hated letting him have any sort of influence on her life now. Merlin, did she hate it. She tightened her grip on Mercutio’s back fur, causing the cat to give an annoyed meow. Arden immediately loosened her grip. “Sorry,” she apologized, scratching behind his mandible as a peace offering. He purred in contentment, settling back down for a catnap. 

Arden reached towards the seat next to her for her charmed purse. She dug around, and pulled out her Potions textbook. She knew that it was, essentially, useless. She had long since noticed that Snape had altered many of the directions, quantities of ingredients, and times for brewing each potion. Hence, why he never let them use the books in class. He wrote his altered directions on the board instead. But, she liked having some sort of idea of what they were brewing and how to brew it before going to class. She opened the book, and began to read.

 

 

About an hour later, the majority of the crowd arrived, and Arden stowed Mercutio back in his cage above the seats. She burrowed into her hoodie as much as possible, and prayed that no one saw her. She kept a sharp ear out for any signs of her ‘friends’. Her heart was practically beating out of her chest. She heard her pulse in her ears. Minutes felt like hours. 

“Mary, honestly, he was so perfect!” Arden heard Seo’s ringing, adenoidal tone. She had apparently met up with Mary on the platform, if her past-tense anecdote was anything to go off of. They past her compartment, as did the rest of the school, thankfully. 

“Yeah? That’s brilliant!” Arden stiffened, hearing a familiar male voice. 

“Where’re you going?” an unfamiliar male voice accused. 

“Sorry, but I think I’m going to sit somewhere else this trip…”

“Oh, gonna sit with your little girlfriend, Ced?” the unfamiliar male voice teased. 

He chuckled, “She’s not my girlfriend, you git. See you lot at the feast.” He opened the compartment door, dragging his trunk behind him.

“Alright, Arden?” Cedric asked, setting his trunk on the shelf above his seat. 

She shrugged, not looking up at him. 

He smirked, his back still to her, “Too busy reading to talk, eh? That’s fine. My dad tells me that I’m great at one-sided conversations, you know.” He turned around, and lounged on the bench-seat across from hers. “This is the first time I’ve ever seen you sitting alone. The twins finally get themselves kicked out, or something?”

Arden visibly tensed at the mention of the twins, catching Cedric’s attention. 

“Oi, Arden, is everything ok…?” Cedric cautiously asked, sitting forward a bit. He raised his hand to put it on her shoulder. She flinched away. His smile fell. He was very concerned. Yet, his loyalty to Arden didn’t waver. He knew there was a reason behind her behavior. He decided to push further, “Does this have to do with why you had to cancel our trip to Diagon Alley?” he ventured.

Arden gave a stiff nod, not meeting his eyes. 

Cedric’s eyes hardened, determined to find out what happened. He kept his tone soft and neutral, “Did the Weasley twins do something?” 

Arden shook her head. 

Ok, so yes or no questions are the best to ask now, he concluded. He decided to press more, “Did something happen to them?” 

Arden shook her head, tears threatening to fall. 

“Does this have to do with the Weasley twins at all?”

Arden shook her head, tears overflowing more than she was actually crying. She made sure that her hair fully covered her face. 

He cautiously asked, “Did something happen to you?”

Arden nodded.

“Do you want to talk about it?” 

Arden nodded. 

He mentally smiled, knowing he was getting somewhere. He pressed on, “Can you talk about it?” 

Arden furiously shook her head. 

Cedric almost panicked, “Did you make an Unbreakable Vow, so you literally can’t?”

Arden shook her head.

He sighed in relief, “So, you just emotionally can’t?”

Arden nodded. 

Cedric smiled, “Well, I’ll just have to wait until you can.”

Soon enough, the train whistled, indicating it would leave soon. 

 

 

Hours later, the Hogwarts Express pulled up to the Hogsmeade Station, and all of the students began filing out the doors. Arden, usually at the front of the pack with the twins, hung back in her compartment. She didn’t want to be caught in the hustle and bustle of things this time. Cedric, acting like the good friend he was, stayed back with her. He knew she would need the extra support, probably the extra protection as well. 

He looked over at the shorter girl, keeping the hood of her uniform cloak pulled over her head. “You doing alright, Arden?” he checked in, knowing how unsettled she was. 

She shrugged, hugging her muggle chapter book to her chest. She had pulled it out of her purse on the ride there, and used it as a way to pass the time…after she had checked over Cedric’s summer work. He had begged her incessantly until she did. The book’s cover said it was called ‘Jane Eyre’. That was all the information Cedric had, as Arden still refused to speak. 

Finally, the flow of students subsided, somewhat. Arden and Cedric walked onto the platform, and began the trek to the thestral drawn carriages. Upon reaching the carriages, however, Arden froze. Fred and George were there waiting for her. 

The identical gingers lit up upon seeing their best friend. “Oi, Arden! Over here!” they simultaneously called.

Arden flinched, and moved to walk up the path on her own. Cedric placed a hand on her shoulder, stopping her. She met his determined gaze with a fearful one of her own. He gave a sympathetic smile, and calmly encouraged her, “Come on, let’s just ignore them. I’ll take care of whatever happens, yeah?” She closed her eyes, took a deep, calming breath, and opened her eyes after exhaling. She met his gaze and nodded, still anxious about the situation. Cedric smiled, wrapping one arm around her shoulder, and guided her towards the carriages. 

Fred and George flashed their most charming grins, and bounded over to meet the pair halfway.

Fred moved to hug her, “Arden, thou broady clotpole!” She recoiled, and tightly gripped Cedric’s cloak. Fred backed away slightly, confused, “Alright there, Arden?”

George piped up, concerned with how Arden was shaking in Cedric’s arms, “Did we do something wrong?”

Cedric gripped Arden’s shoulder, bracingly, and spoke for her, his tone short and leaving no room for argument, “She can tell you when she’s ready.” He looked at the girl in his embrace, and softly reassured, “You’re alright, let’s get on a carriage and go to the feast, yeah?” She nodded against his chest. He led her past the twins and to one of the last of the unoccupied brougham.

Fred was about to go after them, but George held him back. “Leave them be, Freddie.”

He whipped around to argue with George, “What the bloody hell was that? What, did we do something?”

George held his hands up defensively, “I know about as much as you do.”

“Did you see how scared she was? She was terrified of us, George!”

“Maybe something happened at home. We don’t know anything, Fred. We shouldn’t act rashly here.”

Fred grit his teeth, frustrated with this turn of events. He was so excited to see Arden and find out why she couldn’t come over during break. Now, for whatever reason, she was scared of him. Was she worried that they’d be upset that she couldn’t come over? No, that would never cause her to have that violent of a reaction, even with her anxiety. Fred felt like banging his head through one of the castle walls. 

George put a supportive hand on his shoulder, “Come on, Freddie. She’ll tell us when she’s ready. She always does.”

They moved to climb on the second to last carriage, when a familiar brown bush calling to them, “Fred, George!” They looked back and saw Hermione Granger running to them, “Have either of you seen Harry or Ron? They weren’t on the train!”

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Arden stuck very closely to her roommates in the Great Hall, and Cedric made sure to sit as close to her as possible. That caused her roommates to talk to Ced for her, which was nice. She had the comfort of the presence of the one peer she trusted the most at the moment, and she didn’t have to talk to him. She looked up at the staff table during the sorting, and saw that Minnie’s gaze was honed in on her, whenever she didn’t have to pay attention to the First Years. Minnie gave her a supportive smile, but that didn’t lessen the weight of the rock in her stomach. Arden couldn’t bring herself to smile back, like she usually did. She was just on autopilot through the proceedings. 

When Snape suddenly stood up and left the Great Hall, the whole of the Great Hall went silent. Dumbledore stood up, ”It seems that we have two students missing from Gryffindor house. Professor Snape has gone to look for them. We shall move along with everything as normal.”

Arden tuned out after that, choosing to stare at the wood grain of the table in front of her. She began to count the rings. She got up to 89 when her gaze was interrupted by the sudden appearance of her dinner plate. While everyone jumped at the opportunity to fill up their plates, Arden moved much more slowly. She waited for everyone else to start eating before beginning to reach for anything. She put a section of lasagne, and a pile of salad, on her plate. She started eating when Seo interrupted her. 

“So, Arden, how was your summer?” she asked, somehow interested. Arden starred at her plate, not wanting to answer. “Arden?” Seo asked. The girl waved her hand in Arden’s line of view, “Hello, Earth to Arden? Come back to us.”

Cedric, thankfully, stepped in, “Seo, tell me more about your trip to Hong Kong.”

Seo smiled, fluttering her eyelashes at him, “In a minute, Cedric. I want to talk to my roommate really quick. She seems to be ignoring me.”

Arden let out a shaky breath. Cedric put a hand on her back, “You’ll get to see her after the feast. Just tell me more, now, yeah?”

Seo blushed, “Well, I-I mean, if you insist!” She went into detail on her visit with family, which Arden couldn’t care less about. She looked up at the staff table, and was confused. Minnie wasn’t there. She sighed, figuring that she went to discipline the two missing Gryffindors. Arden pushed her plate away, having only nibbled at the food on it. She rested her head in her arms. She wanted the feast to be over, already. She was so mentally exhausted. Time passed at a snail’s place. 

Eventually, they were allowed to leave. Arden wanted to see Minnie before she went to bed, and diverged from the crowd at the main staircase. She walked down the corridor, and knocked on the door once before entering. She froze, not seeing Minnie anywhere. 

She took several quick breaths, attempting to calm down. Minnie was fine. She was ok. She was probably just with the two Gryffindor students who were missing. She was fine. Arden was fine. Arden was in Minnie’s office while Minnie wasn’t there. Minnie wasn’t there…Arden was alone. Arden was…alone… Arden… was... alone. She quickly walked to the little alcove where Minnie’s bedchambers were supposed to be. She sat on the loveseat in front of the fireplace. Putting her head between her knees, she curled up on the loveseat, and tried to calm herself down. 

‘You’re at Hogwarts. You’re safe,’ she kept repeating in her head. She rocked herself back and forth, repeating the mantra over and over in her head. She tried to be conscious of her breathing, attempting to keep it under control. It felt as though hours had passed. It could have been minutes, or even seconds. Arden wasn’t sure. All Arden was focused on was keeping herself together.

Arden jumped when she felt someone’s hand gently start rubbing her back. She brought her head up, and relaxed. Minnie was there. Good, Minnie was there. She wasn’t alone. 

“Want to tell me what brought all this on?” Minnie calmly asked, still rubbing Arden’s back. 

Arden relaxed into her godmother. Her voice was rough from not being used since early that morning, “Was all too much…”

Minnie hummed, moving her arm up from Arden’s back to her shoulder. “Well,” she started, “Tomorrow shouldn’t be as bad, then. You have my class first thing in the morning until lunch.” 

She looked up at the older witch. She said in disbelief, “You know my schedule already? I haven’t even gotten it.”

“You know that the schedules are the same every year, right?” Arden shook her head. “It would be too much trouble to schedule all the classes around each other every year. Hogwarts has had the same class schedules since it was founded.” 

Arden hummed, starting to get too tired to form words.

They sat in comfortable silence for a while, before Minnie stood up. “Miss Grayson, I believe it is well past your bedtime. I’ll escort you to Professor Flitwick.”

Arden looked up at her with concern, “Am I getting written up?”

Minnie scoffed, “Of course not, you were with me.” 

 

 

“Here you are, Miss Grayson!” Professor Flitwick stated, gesturing to the knocker with his free hand. Arden nodded her thanks, moving to use the knocker. Professor Flitwick stopped her, “Miss Grayson,” he started, “You know that my office is always open if you need to talk about anything.”

She nodded, taking the knocker in hand and rapping on the wall once. “I’m light as a feather. But, the longer I’m held, the harder I am to keep,” the knocker sung.

Arden thought for a moment. Air was akin to being light as a feather. You only held air one way…She whispered to the knocker, “Breath.”

“Short and to the point,” the knocker commented, swinging a section of the wall open to reveal the common room.

Arden stepped through, and quickly made her way through the empty common room. She took the steps to the girls’ dorms two at a time until she reached the door with a bronze 4 embellished on it. She took a deep breath, calming herself for the unavoidable confrontation that lay behind it. Bracing herself, she opened the door. 

Seo was the first to react. She leapt off her bed, and ran to the door, “Where the bloody hell have you been?”

Mary waltzed over, “Off with those Weasley boys, I bet. Finally tied one of them as your boyfriend, eh?”

Arden pushed past them, and walked to her bed. Mercutio stood up from his spot on her bed and nuzzled her belly, purring as he tried to entice her to pet him. She scratched his jaw, while her roommates raged in the background.

Seo grabbed her shoulder, and forced her around, “Quit ignoring us,” she demanded, her, usually higher pitched tone of voice had dropped to a lower, frustrated, growl. 

Arden violently reacted to Seo’s hand on her shoulder. She knocked off Seo’s hand, took a defensive stance. She had gotten too close. She was too close. Arden needed space. Arden needed to breathe. Mercutio came to his mistress’ aid, and jumped between the two girls. His fur stood on end and his claws were extended while he hissed at Seo. 

Seo took a step back, and shouted accusingly, “What’s wrong with you? You haven’t said a word since we got here! I know we don’t get along splendidly, but we’ve lived together for three years! I thought we were past this!”

Mary put a hand on Seo’s shoulder, “That’s enough, Seo.” She looked between the two, and said, “Nothing is going to be solved when you’re both acting like this. Arden,” she looked in her eyes, keeping her attention, “Did something happen at home?” Arden bit her lip, looking away. “I’m taking that as a yes. And, since you viciously reacted to Seo forcing you to turn around, I’m assuming that it was something physical. Am I right?”

She nodded, picking Mercutio off of the ground. Seo, now concerned, asked, “Do you want to talk about it?”

Arden pet Mercutio, calming herself down. Could she trust Seo and Mary? She had been alone with each of them a multitude of times over the past few years. Sure, she didn’t get along the best with either of them (though she was closer to Mary than Seo). She figured that they were trustworthy enough. As her roommates, she was almost forced to trust them. Well, looks like her roommates were going to be the first of her peers to hear about what happened. “Yeah, but you two can’t tell anyone. And, I mean anyone. The only people who know are my godmum and Madam Pomfrey.”

“Why Madam Pomfrey?” Seo asked.

Arden shifted, “I have to let her check up on how my injuries are healing.” 

Mary waved that off, “Just tell us.”

Arden nodded, and began the story. She had to stop herself a few times to calm down. She was petting Mercutio through the whole thing, almost using him as a grounding tool. Once she finished, Seo and Mary’s jaws were slack. They looked at each other, and started trash-talking Dan.

“What a tosser!” Mary exclaimed, “If I were there, I’d have him begging for mercy!”

Seo mimed vomiting, “Ugh, if there were ever a time I wished the unforgivable curses weren’t illegal! That would have been the ideal time to use them. Can their use be justified with an utter slag like that?” 

“I think it’d hold up in court,” Mary proposed.

Arden smiled to herself. If these two thought that his actions were disgusting, then maybe they were trustworthy…

The two seemed to remember that Arden was there, and immediately began questioning her. 

“So, is that why Cedric was practically hanging off of you? You said only your godmother and Madam Pomfrey know, right?” Seo questioned.

Arden shook her head, “He doesn’t know. You two are the only people I’ve spoken to, other than my godmum, since I left home this morning. He was just being a supportive friend. He figured out that something happened at home, though.”

Mary asked, “So, not even the Weasley boys know? You go over to theirs every summer.”

“No,” she denied, “They don’t know.”

“When are you planning on telling them, then? And, when do you plan to tell Cedric?” asked Seo.

“I don’t know. I’m…I’m not so sure I plan on telling the twins at all, to be honest.”

“Did you three have a falling-out or something?”

“No, nothing like that…I just don’t know if I can trust them is all. How do I know that if one of them gets me alone that that won’t happen?”

Mary moved her hand in a dismissive motion, “The twins would never do that. They’re too nice. Plus, you three have been friends since the moment you met on the platform. Why would they do that to anyone, much less you?”

“Dan and I were friends for almost eight years, and look what happened.” Arden bluntly argued.

Seo scoffed, “Well that’s him. These are the Weasley twins we’re talking about. Fred and George, remember? Also, why do you trust Cedric and not them, then?”

“Cedric and I have been alone together on a multitude of occasions; sometimes even late at night. I know I can trust him. I’ve never been alone with either Fred or George.”

“Even so, they aren’t Dan. They’d ever do that to anyone,” Mary maintained.

Arden gave her a skeptic look, “How can you be so sure? I certainly didn’t think that my childhood best friend would do anything like he did, and look what happened.”

Seo retorted, “How can you possibly know that if you don’t give them a chance?”

Arden hugged herself, “Better safe than sorry…”

Mary put a calming hand on her shoulder, “How about this: you take some time to heal from what happened, and we can make sure they give you space. Whenever you’re ready, you can start to let them back in?”

“You two would really do that?” Arden asked, astonished. 

Mary nodded. “Well, yeah. We’re your roommates. We do care about you. Well, I guess we’re friends too, right? ” Seo commented.

Arden nodded, a small trace of a smile gracing her features, “Yeah, friends.”

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

The next morning, Fred and George were waiting outside the Ravenclaw common room, as they often did last term. They and Arden would walk down to the Great Hall for breakfast together, and then split to go eat at their respective tables. They figured that the same thing would happen this year.

Fred was leaning against the wall closest to where they knew the entrance was. His arms were crossed across his chest. “Think she’ll tell us what happened today?” he asked his brother, yawning mid sentence.

George was sat cross-legged in front of him, relaxing against his legs. “Hopefully. If not, we just have to wait for her to be ready. It must have been bad if she couldn’t come over, and didn’t even try to find us on the train.”

Fred scoffed, “Why would she be avoiding us but not Diggory?”

George shrugged, “Maybe the two of them are closer than we think. They do spend a lot of time together during term.”

“Yeah, but she spends more time with us! We see her every day!”

“Maybe they got closer over summer. We don’t own her, Freddie. She doesn’t have to tell us everything.”

“But we’re her best friends. She should tell us everything…” he trailed off.

“The point is she doesn’t have to.” 

A bell sounded in the wall behind the twins, which they recognized as the alarm to grab the attention of the Ravenclaws. They were prone to getting so absorbed in whatever interested them that they would often forget to eat, sleep, or do anything other than focus on that one thing. A few minutes later, Ravenclaws started filing out of the common room entrance.

The twins recognized Arden, but her roommates flanked her. They ran to get in front of the girls. “Hello, love!” They simultaneously chimed. The girls pushed past, ignoring them. They chased after them. “Come on, let’s just talk.”

Seo stopped, allowing Mary and Arden to continue on ahead. She whipped around and bluntly stated, “She doesn’t want to talk to you two right now. Take a hint.” 

George pleaded, “We just want to know if she’s ok.”

“Is she angry with us?” Fred asked, dejectedly.

Seo sighed, “Look, I can’t give any details. I promised I wouldn’t talk about it. But, she’s not angry at either of you. She just doesn’t want to talk to you two right now.”

Fred grew increasingly flustered. George held him back from asking anything else. “Just, let her know we’ll be waiting for her until she’s ready.”

As soon as Seo walked off, Fred whipped around, about to start a row with his brother, but George interrupted his train of thought, and “We know she’s alright and not angry with us. The best thing we can do to help her is wait, Freddie. Let’s let her come to us when she’s ready instead of forcing ourselves on her, alright? Now, come on, I’ll bet Ron has eaten more than half our share by now.”

 

 

As he did the prior night, Cedric sat as close as possible to Arden. He kept silent, knowing that he’d have the full ability to be near her in their class after lunch, Defense Against the Dark Arts. He’d let her roommates keep her attention for now. 

About a fourth of the way through breakfast, a shrieking “RONALD WEASLEY!” echoed throughout the hall, seeming to fill the room from floor to ceiling. All eyes were on the Gryffindor table. The shrieking continued, “STEALING THE CAR, I WOULDN’T HAVE BEEN SURPRISED IF THEY’D EXPELLED YOU! YOU WAIT TILL I GET HOLD OF YOU! I DON’T SUPPOSE YOU STOPPED TO THINK WHAT YOUR FATHER AND I WENT THROUGH WHEN WE SAW IT WAS GONE!” Arden knew that Mrs. Weasley could be absolutely horrifying when angry, but Merlin was she glad that she wasn’t on the receiving end of that. “–LETTER FROM DUMBLEDORE LAST NIGHT, I THOUGHT YOUR FATHER WOULD DIE OF SHAME! WE DIDN’T BRING YOU UP TO BEHAVE LIKE THIS, YOU AND HARRY COULD BOTH HAVE DIED–“ Arden was wondering if her ears had started bleeding yet. “ABSOLUTELY DISGUSTED! YOUR FATHER’S FACING AN INQUIRY AT WORK, IT’S ENTIRELY YOUR FAULT! AND IF YOU PUT ANOTHER TOE OUT OF LINE WE’LL BRING YOU STRAIGHT BACK HOME!”

The resulting silence was deafening. A few people began laughing, and, gradually, the hall filled with its usual babble of chatter. 

 

 

The twins’ first class that day was Transfiguration with the Ravenclaws. Fred and George walked to the table they usually shared, only to see that it was occupied by Arden and her roommates. The two were still on either side of her. They settled on sitting at the table behind them, hoping that their more distant presence would help acclimate her to them again. As soon as they sat down, however, Seo and Mary shot daggers out of their eyes at them. They gave a nervous shrug, and bashful grins, but refused to move. 

Halfway through McGonagall’s lecture, Fred realized that he probably should be paying attention. If Arden couldn’t even look at him there’d be no way she’d be willing to share her notes with him. When class let out, McGonagall held him and George back.

“Mister Weasley and Mister Weasley,” Professor McGonagall addressed, “I see that you two and Miss Grayson did not sit together today. Did something happen between the three of you?”

The question startled the twins. “You pay attention to who we sit with?” George asked cautiously.

The older witch nodded, “Of course, especially the three of you. While Miss Grayson keeps out of the mischief making, you three have been inseparable since your first year. It only seems logical that something must have happened. As your head of house, and teacher, it behooves me to get to the bottom of the situation.”

The boys shifted uncomfortably from one foot to another, before George had the nerve to speak. “Well, she actually hasn’t spoken to us at all yet. Not even on the train.”

“We have no clue what happened. One of her roommates said that she wasn’t angry at us, at least,” Fred continued, clearly frustrated.

McGonagall hummed, thinking that Arden must not be comfortable around her friends just yet. But, she told her roommates. At least she seemed to be making progress…though she seemed to be taking two steps back and one step forward. She was opening up to people, but cutting out friends in the process.

“Professor, do you know what happened?” George cautiously ventured. 

“I am not at liberty to say if I do or do not, Mister Weasley. I’m sure that Miss Grayson will tell you what happened when she is ready. For now, the best advice that I can give you is to give her space. Support her from afar. Let her come to you. Now,” she said, walking over to her desk, “I believe I have held you two back long enough. Go on, it’s time for lunch.”

 

 

Cedric joined the girls on their way to Defense Against the Dark Arts after lunch. He spoke to her roommates, as she wasn’t ready to talk to him just yet.

“So, then, my dad invited the Minister over for dinner to talk about the outcome of the last Quidditch World cup,” he offhandedly commented.

Seo and Mary seemed enraptured by the story. “So, did he accept?” Mary asked. 

Cedric shrugged, “Well, he was about to, until my dad started bragging about me again. I had just sent him a letter that week telling him that I had gotten the seeker position on the Hufflepuff team.” He awkwardly chuckled and scratched the back of his neck.

They arrived at the classroom and filed in. Cedric and Arden took the desk in the middle of the second row. Mary and Seo sat in front of them, and started enthusiastically discussing how amazing Professor Lockhart was going to be. Arden sighed, and leaned her head against her fist. She lost herself in thought while staring at the covered birdcage atop the large granite podium in the front of the classroom. 

To say that she thought Gilderoy Lockhart was a lying hack was an understatement. There is no way that someone who did what he claims to have done would brag about their accomplishments for fame or fortune. Grandpa Albus was just as famous as this guy for similar reasons, and he didn’t boast about anything. He was thrice the man this hack claims to be, and about twelve times the wizard. Unfortunately, blondie hailed from Ravenclaw house. Maybe he understood theoretical Defense? She could only hope. She was going to do some digging later on, find out if he was worth his weight in leprechaun gold. 

The door atop a short spiral staircase opened, and Lockhart stood atop the landing. He was dressed impeccably, wearing a flamboyant set of bright fuchsia robes, a gold embroidered sweater vest atop a tie-dye fuchsia and lime green button down shirt – which was tucked into shiny yellow pants held up with a lime-green belt – and accented with black and fuchsia loafers. He held up his arms as though to hug the whole room, and proclaimed, “Let me introduce you to your new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher.” He started to walk down the staircase as he continued, “Order of Merlin, third class. Honorary member of the Dark Force Defense League, and five times winner of Witch Weekly’s Most Charming Smile Award.” He reached the bottom landing of the staircase, and started gallivanting to the front of the room. Once he reached the granite podium in the front of the room (which Arden was sure he had brought with him), he rhetorically asked, “Can anyone figure out who this magnificent wizard must be?” He chuckled and picked up Magical Me and held it next to his head, “Me, Gilderoy Lockhart! But,” he paused for dramatic effect as he put the book back down, “I don’t talk about that. I didn’t get rid of the Bandon Banshee by smiling at her.” He paused and waited for laughter that never came.

“Anyway,” he trailed off, “I am here to teach you how to defend yourselves against the horrors of our world. In order to do so, I asked you all to purchase a complete set of my books. I am happy to see that you all did so. I thought we’d start today with a pop quiz!” He pulled a stack of parchment out of his robes, and handed them out one by one. When he reached the back of the classroom, he said, “You may begin.”

Arden looked down at the page and grimaced, these questions were absolutely ridiculous. 

_1\. What is Gilderoy Lockhart’s favorite color?_

_2\. What is Gilderoy Lockhart’s secret ambition?_

_3\. What, in your opinion, is Gilderoy Lockhart’s greatest achievement to date?_

On and on it went, over three sides of parchment, right down to:

_54\. When is Gilderoy Lockhart’s birthday, and what would his ideal gift be?_

She sighed, and took a quick glance around. Everyone else seemed to be genuinely trying on this ridiculous quiz. She couldn’t bring herself to entertain it. She knew the answers, of course she read his mediocre accounts of the ‘heroic triumphs’ he claimed to have been part of. She just didn’t feel that any of these facts about Lockhart were of any merit. What magical creature or dark wizard would fight them with facts about Gilderoy Lockhart? She internally burst out laughing at the thought of Voldemort holding his wand in front of her face and asking, “What was the name of Gilderoy Lockhart’s childhood pet?”

She decided to refuse to be part of the quiz. She’d get her first failing grade. What did it matter in the long run? She wasn’t even going to put her name on the page. 

About half an hour after he handed out the quiz, he called for them to be handed to the front of the classroom. He started paging through them immediately after. He tsked in disapproval, “Hardly any of you remembered that secret ambition is to rid the world of evil and market my own range of hair-care potions, or that my birthday is January 26.” His eyes widened comically when he reached one paper, “Who left theirs entirely blank? There’s not even a name on here?” His eyes darted across the room, “Who didn’t fill out the Essential Knowledge exam?”

The class was abuzz with light chatter, trying to see who chose to not fill out the exam. Arden said nothing, and just leaned her head in her hand. A few minutes later, when no one stood up, “Well, I guess I’ll have to go through the class roster while grading them today, won’t I?” Lockhart sighed, walking over to the podium. Arden rolled her eyes, knowing she didn’t really care if he found out.

He continued in a boisterous voice, “Now — be warned! It is my job to arm you against the foulest creatures known to wizardkind! You may find yourselves facing your worst fears in this room. Know only that no harm can befall you whilst I am here. All I ask is that you remain calm.”

Arden mentally groaned. He was putting on such a needless theatrical display. She suddenly found herself missing Quirrell…even though he did have Voldemort growing out the back of his head. 

“I must ask you not to scream,” said Lockhart in a low voice. “It might provoke them.” As the whole class held its breath, Lockhart whipped off the cover. “Yes,” he said dramatically. “Freshly caught Bowtruckles.” 

The entire birdcage was filled to bursting with bowtruckles. They were about 8 inches high, and looked rather agitated.

A group of Hufflepuff students in the back of the room couldn’t control themselves. They let out snorts of laughter that even Lockhart couldn’t mistake for screams of terror. 

“They may not seem that scary,” said Lockhart, waggling a finger annoyingly at the class. “But, they can be devilish tricky little blighters!” He put a hand on his chin, “You know what? You’re all fourth years. Let’s see what you make of them!” He exclaimed, opening the cage and releasing the bowtruckles. 

It was pandemonium. Everyone screamed as the bowtruckles rushed towards them, like little rockets. Most of the Ravenclaws evacuated, knowing how sharp their fingers were. The Hufflepuffs followed in close succession. Arden, however, stayed back. She knew she’d be able to capture them all with one spell. 

“Come on now — round them up, round them up, they’re only Bowtruckles,” Lockhart shouted. He rolled up his sleeves, brandished his wand, and bellowed, “Peskipewni Pesternomi!” 

It had absolutely no effect. Several bowtruckles easily scaled him, seized his wand and threw it out of the window. Lockhart gulped, quickly brushing them off before they could hurt him, and dived under his own desk for protection. 

The bell rang and the remaining students made a mad dash toward the exit. While everyone else ran out, Arden calmly stood up, and walked towards the podium. She smiled at the smaller bowtruckles that stayed behind, not as aggressive as their peers. She stood near the front and held her wand aloft. Moving it in the correct fashion, she whispered, “Imobilus.” The bowtruckles all froze in place. She conjured a large net, and gathered the bowtruckles easily. She placed them gently back in the cage, locking it after she finished.

Lockhart straightened up, smiling at her, “Well done, I was planning on doing precisely that when you all left.” Arden gave him a stern look, similar to that of Minnie’s. He recoiled slightly, but continued, “What is your name, my dear?” 

Arden felt a wave of utter disgust roll through her entire being. No one, except Minnie and Grandpa Albus, was allowed to call her “my dear”. She chose to not reply, and just stood there. 

Lockhart chuckled in amusement. “I asked for your name, Miss…” he trailed off. Arden just stood there. He sighed, “Well, I’m sure you’ll tell me sooner or later! Anyway, ten points to Ravenclaw for quick witted competence that almost rivals my own!” 

Arden scoffed, picked up her things, and stormed out of the classroom. 

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Later that evening, Lockhart was sitting in his office grading the exams that he gave out that day. He cross-referenced the names on each individual exam with his class rosters, making sure to write down the grades the students received. He came across the blank exam, and, by process of elimination, deduced that it belonged to one Arden J. Grayson. He checked who her parents were in his roster. Alex and Jamie Grayson, he recalled them dying back in the height of the war. Her listed guardian was Minerva McGonagall. That was a shock, with how she was clearly present and chose not to fill out the exam. Well, she was going to get a piece of his mind. He was going to address the issue himself. He was perfectly qualified as a teacher at Hogwarts to discipline the students. He just had to figure out which one she was…He was a Ravenclaw, he was clever enough to do that! Well, she obviously wasn’t one of the boys…and she wasn’t a Hufflepuff. So, she had to be one of the three Ravenclaw girls. But, which one was she…? He’d just ask Minerva, he decided.

He stood up, gathered the papers in his arms, and walked out of his office with a spring in his step. His first detention! He was excited! Maybe he’d have her answer fan-mail; or polish the frames of his pictures? He’d figure it out. He knocked on Minerva’s office door, and waited for her to answer.

“Just a minute!” Minerva’s voice called out from inside. 

He pushed the door open anyway, “Do you know how many lives would have been lost if I had waited one more minute?” He rhetorically asked as he barged into her office, “If, say, I had waited just one more minute before banishing the Bandon Banshee from the residence of that lovely muggle family? If I had waited just one more minute before having a heart to heart with that vampire in the middle of York?” He blinked in slight surprise. There was that Ravenclaw student who wouldn’t speak to him earlier that day. The brunette was having a discussion with Minerva? What could she do that he couldn’t? He was so much more…more than Minerva! Not to mention, they were members of the same house.

Minerva sighed, pinching the bride of her nose in aggravation. “Miss Grayson, we shall finish this discussion at a later time. You should probably get back to your common room before curfew.”

The brunette nodded and, rather quickly, made her way out of the room, pushing past Gilderoy as fast as possible. He asked, “So, that was Arden Grayson?”

Minerva nodded, “Yes. Is there something you needed, Gilderoy? I was in the middle of a quite engaging discussion before you barged your way in here.”

He shook his head, “No, I just wanted to make sure. She is a quite insightful and quick thinking young girl. She may almost be as good as me one day! Well, I’m off to finish grading these papers. Have a good night, Minerva!” He turned around and ran off. 

Minerva sighed, “Well, that was a complete waste of time…”

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

The next day, after breakfast, Arden stood up to walk to her first class of the day, Care of Magical Creatures. As she was leaving with Cedric, Professor Lockhart stepped into their pathway. “Good morning, you lot!” he grinned, his bright yellow robes garish in the early morning hours. 

“Good morning, Sir!” Cedric smiled back, “Do you need us for something?”

He pointed at Arden, “I just need to speak to Grayson for a moment. You can tell Professor Kettleburn that I shall escort her to class myself if she’s late,” he winked, causing Arden to roll her eyes in distaste.

Cedric was mentally wringing his hands, “Uh, Sir, I promised Arden that we would walk to class together today. Would you mind escorting me as well? We were going to discuss any alternate methods that you could have used to help the York Vampire, other than eating cabbage!” Cedric lied on the spot. He knew that Arden didn’t want to be around anyone she didn’t trust explicitly at the moment. Granted, he didn’t know why. But, nonetheless, she did. He didn’t want to break her trust with him by just leaving her behind. 

Lockhart seemed to glow at his comment, “Why, of course, dear boy! You just follow us and wait outside while I speak to her!” He put a hand on Cedric’s shoulder, and the two fourth-years followed. 

 

 

When they got to an abandoned classroom, Cedric stood outside while Lockhart escorted Arden in. Arden was exceptionally uncomfortable. She didn’t want to be alone with a man she didn’t trust. She needed Cedric. She made sure to stand as close to the door as possible, as a quick escape route.

Lockhart turned his attention to her, “So, Miss Grayson. You thought it was funny to not fill out the exam yesterday, eh?”

Arden shrugged. She didn’t care much, if she was honest. She would never tell him that to his face, though.

He bristled, “You also seem to find it funny to not reply when your superiors are talking to you.”

Arden didn’t see him as a superior, but that was beside the point.

“Well, I know that you’re a fellow member of Ravenclaw house, and I hate to do this so early in the year.” He continued, “But, I’ll be taking 10 points from Ravenclaw for blatant disrespect.” 

Arden didn’t see any purpose in doing that. She’d be able to get double that back in a day or so from Flitwick anyway. 

“And you’ll be serving detention with me this Saturday evening, in my office.” 

That got her attention. 

“Yes, I think a few hours alone with me, signing fan-mail will do you some good. It’ll show you some proper respect-“

She gripped her robes in front of her sternum. Where did her breath go? Was she breathing? Why was everything swimming in her field of vision? Was Lockhart still talking? 

Professor Lockhart stopped in his ranting. Was she hyperventilating? “Miss Grayson? Are you alright?” She was unresponsive, seeming to be staring off into space. 

It was too much. It was all too much. She couldn’t be alone with someone for that long. She couldn’t. She fell to her knees, and curled in on herself. She didn’t notice the tears overflowing from her eyes. She didn’t even notice when Cedric picked her up.

“Hey, Arden, it’s me. Can you breathe with me? Nod if me you can hear me, love.” When she didn’t respond, Cedric sighed. “I was worried this would happen. I need to take her to Madam Pomfrey.” 

Lockhart wouldn’t have it. “I’m sure I can do something. I learned this handy trick from an old woman when I was spending the holidays eradicating Hags from this little Wizarding community south of Cheswick.” He cleared his throat, but Cedric was gone before he could do anything. 

 

 

Cedric sprinted up the stairs, and didn’t stop until he reached the hospital wing. Madam Pomfrey met him at the door. “Good Merlin, what happened now?” She escorted the fourth-year to a bed at the very back of the Hospital Wing.

Out of breath, he panted out, “Lockhart…and her…alone…classroom…”

Madam Pomfrey winced, “Did…Grayson tell you why she’s been the way she is lately?”

“No, she hasn’t…is this related to it?” he cautiously asked, beginning to piece the picture together.

Madam Pomfrey said nothing, but walked off to get a Calming Draught, and to write a note to Professor Kettleburn. She also should probably let Minerva know what happened. 

 

 

Hours later, Professor Lockhart showed up after lunch, in the company of Cedric, he told her that he decided to excuse her actions, and lifted the detention out of guilt. After he left, Arden was finally calm enough to tell Cedric everything. He was extremely understanding of why she didn’t want to tell him outright. When she tried to leave, Madam Pomfrey told her that she was going to be kept for observation, at least, until after supper.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Halloween was, easily, the best time of the year. The castle was decked out with jack-o-lanterns, enchanted black and orange streamers, purple fire was burning in in the lanterns and torches scattered throughout the entirety of the castle, and live bats were living in the Great Hall. Plus, all of the Ravenclaws got their annual goodie-baskets from Flitwick. Halloween was turning out to be relatively normal…save for Sir Nick’s 500th Deathday Party. So, all of the ghosts were absent from the feast. No matter, though, because the rest of the feast went off without a hitch. 

After it ended, everyone started to file out of the Great Hall and up the stairs to their respective common rooms. On the third floor, there was a big traffic jam. Arden, Seo, and Mary just wanted to head off to bed. So, they pushed past to see what the hold up was. 

There, written in, what looked to be blood, foot-high words had been daubed on the wall between two windows, shimmering in the light cast by the flaming torches. 

**THE CHAMBER OF SECRETS HAS BEEN OPENED. ENEMIES OF THE HEIR, BEWARE.**

Arden froze after recognizing what was hanging below the words. Mrs. Norris was hanging by her tail from the torch bracket. She was stiff as a board, her eyes wide and staring. Seo and Mary each grabbed one of her arms, and dragged her to Ravenclaw Tower. Seo sighed, knowing that Arden wasn’t going to let it go. She’d be obsessed with this topic for weeks. 

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Mid November rolled around, and Arden had combed through every single book in the library at that point. While everyone else was off at Dueling Club, she had taken up residence in the library. She knew that knowledge should come before trying to defend against an unknown threat. Who else in this school would know about The Chamber? She sighed, turning upside down in her favored armchair by the windows looking out onto the Black Lake. 

It’d have to be someone old enough to be here the last time it was opened…someone who probably would not be targeted…so, none of the professors (other than Grandpa Albus or Professor Binns) would fit the criteria…Hagrid could, as he was kicked out in his Third Year, which must’ve been over 40 years ago…He could be a promising lead…But, she wanted someone it wouldn’t target, and it may target Hagrid, as he was half-giant…THE GHOSTS! Arden fell off of the chair in shock. Of course! SHE COULD ASK THE GHOSTS! She packed up her things and ran out of the library. She had to find the Grey Lady. 

 

 

The first place she checked, she was successful. She was helping one of the new first years, a very pale blonde girl with large blue eyes and radish earrings, with her History of Magic essay. 

Arden decided to interrupt, as they seemed to be wrapping up. “Excuse me, Grey Lady, may I borrow you for a moment?” Arden respectfully asked, as all Ravenclaws do. The Grey lady was a much more involved House Ghost, so they all knew not to take advantage of her good nature. 

She nodded, floating higher, as to act like she was standing up, “Miss Lovegood, I hope I was of assistance to you. But, it seems like you have a good grasp on these events.”

The girl smiled, seeming to have her own ethereal glow, “Oh, yes. And, I hope I was of help to you. You seemed rather ignorant of the effects of nargles on the deceased. I’ll look into making some repellent for you.”

“That would be lovely. Thank you.” She floated off behind Arden, and settled down at an unoccupied table near the bookshelves. “How may I help you, Miss Grayson?”

Arden pulled out a set of parchment, quill, and an inkpot in preparation for taking notes. “I assume you heard of the events of Halloween, yes?”

“Ah, with Mrs. Norris’s petrification. Yes, I heard about it. And, that poor Gryffindor boy who was petrified last week…” she trailed off.

Arden decided to be blunt. “Grey Lady…do you know anything about the Chamber of Secrets?”

She nodded, “Yes, it is a chamber that Salazar Slytherin built back in the early days of Hogwarts. He felt the need to purge muggle-borns from the school…so, he built it to house a monster…I know of the last person to die from this monster is still lingering around…But, I feel that I’ve said too much. You enjoy a bit of a chase, don’t you, Miss Grayson?”

Arden felt her lips curl upwards, “You are too observant, you know?”

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Two weeks later, she decided to interrogate Hagrid. She had been alone with the groundskeeper/keeper of the keys on a multitude of occasions. She knew he’d never hurt her, much less anything or anyone else (unless they said something about Dumbledore, of course). She jogged down past the Quidditch Pitch, towards the edge of the Forbidden Forest, and gave his door three sharp raps. 

“I’m comin’, hold yer horses,” he grunted from inside. He opened the door, and smiled softly at Arden. He bent down and gave her a tight hug, “’ey there, lass. Bin wonderin’ when yeh’d come ter see me.” 

Pulling back from the near-spine-snapping hug, she teased, “How could you’d think I would forget?” She walked inside the hut, and immediately sat on the floor to pet Fang, “You know I only come here for time with Fang,” she sarcastically commented.

He scratched at his beard chuckled, knowing she was just playing around with him, “Yeh, ev’ry one does.” He sat heavily on the chairs near his table, “So, tea?”

“Oh, please!” Arden chimed, happy to be feeling at ease for once. She stood up, much to Fang’s dismay as he groaned in protest, and sat across from Hagrid. She took the mug he offered, as well as a square of treacle fudge. 

They discussed life at Hogwarts, as well as how Hagrid was preparing for the upcoming Christmas displays.

Though, once he told her the news that Professor Kettleburn was leaving, Arden got excited. The man needed retirement, and badly. He had already received so many burns and scars, and lost so many fingers. “Not ter mention, Dumbledore offered me the position!” Hagrid was beaming, “Me, a professor!”

Arden smirked, “I doubt there is anyone on Earth as qualified as you, Professor Hagrid.”

He blushed, “Yeh flatter me.” Arden’s smile disappeared as she stared into the remains of her tea. “Yer thinkin’ awfully loud over there, Arden.”

She decided to get it over with, “Hagrid…You said that you were expelled in your third year, right?”

He sighed, “Not you too…”

“That was the year that the Chamber was opened for the first time…but, you told me you weren’t a Slytherin, so you couldn’t have been his Heir.”

He smiled, “Well, at least someone believes me.”

“So, if you were framed, who do you think it was?”

He scoffed, “Do I even have ter say his name?”

Arden’s eyes grew to dinner plate proportions, “YOU went to SCHOOL WITH HIM?”

He laughed, “He was a few years older ‘n me at the time, but yeh.”

She was shocked, “How did you SURVIVE?”

“Kept my head as low as I could, and avoided his group.” He paused, “But, then it happened…Aragog and I were lucky ter have Dumbledore on our side.”

“Your acromantula in the forest?” She recalled Hagrid mentioning him once or twice. He was a good friend, according to him. 

“Yeh, after I was expelled, the attacks suddenly stopped.”

Arden paused, “That was the year someone died, right? Can you tell me where they found the body?”

“If I remember right, it was a girls’ bathroom on the first floor.”

She gasped, and almost screamed. She knew who the victim was! “Myrtle…”

 

 

After hearing Myrtle’s tale of her death, “I remember seeing a pair of great, big, yellow eyes…” before she sobbed and dived back into her toilet, Arden had been in the library for weeks, searching for things that could kill you with a look. It was the night before Christmas, and she was up late looking for clues. She was curled up in her favored armchair by the window. It was so dark that she could see her own reflection quite clearly. 

She finally caved decided to page through her copy of _Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find them_ , when she came across Basilisks…This had to be it! They typically had yellow eyes and could kill with eye contact! It was perfect! But…how could it be getting around…it killed Myrtle in the bathroom, but it would be too obvious if it just came slithering in the door…the entire castle had what in common…? She wanted to bash her own head in! It was so obvious! The pipes! It slithered in through the pipes! She needed to write this all down! She took out her parchment, quill, and inkpot, and set to start writing when she heard something rustling against the carpet. She decided it had to be Madame Pince heading off to tell her to go to bed. She wanted to finish first. She had to go see Grandpa Albus with this right away. She had the first two letters down when she felt a presence behind her. She looked in the window and knew no more. 

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

The following morning, Fred and George made their way down to the Great Hall for the annual Hogwarts Christmas Breakfast. They were in their new jumpers, swapped as they did every year, and were shocked upon their arrival. Two important members of staff were missing from the table, McGonagall and Dumbledore. Fred was the one who was brave enough to ask about it.

“Professor Snape…Where are Professor McGonagall and Professor Dumbledore?” he cautiously asked, half expecting the answer already. 

“If you must know, another student was attacked last night.”

“Well, yeah, but none of the Gryffindors are missing.”

Snape sneered, “I never said it was a Gryffindor student.”

The twins exchanged fearful looks. Only two other houses had any students remaining; one of which only had one student, and she never showed up for breakfast. They suddenly lost their appetites, and ran to the Hospital Wing. 

 

 

While a typical student at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry may only see McGonagall smile a total of seven times throughout their entire academic career, they most certainly will never see her cry…until that day. When two Gryffindor students ran into the Hospital Wing that Christmas morning, they certainly never anticipated the scene they happened upon. Minerva McGonagall, the head of Gryffindor House, was crying onto the petrified abdomen of their best friend. Behind her, Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts, was rubbing circles onto her back while clearly holding back his own tears. 

McGonagall stood up, rubbed her eyes behind her glasses, and whispered, “Albus…”

He hugged his mentee, “I know, Minerva…Pomona is working as fast as she can. The mandrakes have a few months yet.”

Fred and George kept silent while they observed the goings on, hiding behind the curtain separating the side dedicated for petrified patients from the rest. George decided to be brave enough to emerge first.

He walked to her bedside, and sat in the chair next to it. McGonagall quickly composed herself, but George was too quick and asked the obvious question, “You’re her godmother, aren’t you?”

She answered, “That would be correct, Mr. Weasley. I assume that’s your brother hiding behind the curtain.”

Fred walked out, sheepishly scratching the back of his neck as he rushed over to Arden’s bedside. He took one of her petrified hands in his, and rubbed his thumb back and forth across her knuckles.

Dumbledore smiled, “It seems that, even in difficult times, our Arden has managed to make some very loyal friends.”

George paused, “You said ‘our’ Arden?”

The older wizard smiled, “I believe that is something she must tell you herself.”

Fred hadn’t been paying much attention. As soon as he saw Arden, the world around him stopped existing. Arden was gone. But…she wasn’t muggleborn? He stopped his ministrations for a moment, “But…why was she targeted?”

“Yeah,” George agreed, making eye contact with McGonagall, “Weren’t her parents both wizards? She’s not muggleborn.”

Dumbledore cast his gaze at the ground, “But, by Voldemort’s standards, she’d be as good as. Both of her parents were muggleborn…”

At that moment, Hermione, Harry, and Ron rushed in. 

“Professor Dumbledore!” Hermione gasped in surprise, “Are you visiting Arden too?”

He smiled gently at the trio, “Yes, I was. I was about to leave, actually. I believe Madam Pomfrey is on her way over to let Professor McGonagall and myself know we should be leaving. Come along, Minerva.” He walked out, with a sniffling McGonagall at his heels. 

Hermione quickly padded over to Arden’s unoccupied bedside. She laid a hand on her shoulder, and sighed. Arden had been in the library reading something…what could she have been working on that late? They found her just at the start of curfew. She hadn’t been petrified long, as her body was still warm. 

Madam Pomfrey walked over, laying Arden’s things next to her on the bedside table. She was muttering to herself, “Honestly, that girl works too hard. I’m going to give that Kettleburn a piece of my mind, assigning an essay over Christmas, honestly.”

Fred and George’s heads popped up, and their gazes met. “Kettleburn didn’t assign us an essay…” they simultaneously trailed off. 

Five gazes went to the stack of parchment next to Arden’s head. Hermione grabbed at the top sheet, only seeing “Ba” and a few ink splatters on the page. Her brows furrowed in confusion. What was she doing? “What could this mean?” She asked the room, looking at each boy in sequence. She let her gaze fall on Arden’s petrified form, “What is ‘Ba’?” She asked, looking Arden dead in the eye.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Upon the return of the other students, Mary and Seo were called into Dumbledore’s office. They were confused, concerned, and anticipating what had happened. When they entered the circular room, Seo opened with, “Arden got attacked, didn’t she?”

The elderly wizard solemnly nodded, “Yes, she did. She will be fine, as will the other victims. As soon as the mandrakes are ready, she will be revived. The potion is a quick brew, and we just so happen to have an expert potions master on staff. However, there is one more thing I must mention. You two are aware that Arden lives with her godmother, I assume.”

“Yeah, we figured that out in our first year,” Mary supplied. 

“Do either of you know who her godmother is?” At their lack of a reply, he sighed, “I knew that she would keep it a secret from everyone. You will frequently be seeing Professor McGonagall by Arden’s bedside for that reason.”

Seo and Mary’s jaws dropped.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Arden was awakened by the bitter-sour Mandrake potion. She closed her eyes for the first time in months, groaned as she felt them sting as they slowly rehydrated. Her everything was stiff and didn’t want to move. Her body was screaming in protest. She opened her eyes after a few minutes to a blurry view of the hospital wing. She heard someone jump up beside her, and, stiffly, turned to face them. Gradually, her vision started to come back into focus as she blinked. Fred’s face came into view. He smiled, tears welling up in his chocolate brown eyes. “Arden,” he breathed, “You’re back!”

She was about to greet him, when she felt his lips press forcefully into hers.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Would y'all want longer chapters like this, or shorter ones? LET ME KNOW!! 
> 
>  
> 
> Also, I am not sorry for what happens next....MUAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA 3:]


	18. Chapter 18

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WELCOME BACK EVERYONE! (Please leave a comment/review)
> 
> I am NOT sorry for taking this long (not only because this chapter is over 6K words) because I was studying for the GRE, taking the GRE, and then classes started. Updates SHOULD be more frequent this semester because I only have 6 credits left till I graduate, and I only need to finish my Statement of Purpose for my grad school applications. Please continue to be patient with me! (Also, please leave a comment/review)
> 
> ALSO, I will not be posting anything on my Tumblr anymore. I don't like the direction the website is going. They reported someone I've been following for over 12 years for "inappropriate pictures of a female chest" when he's a fully, and openly, transitioned FTM guy, top surgery and all. Along with everything else they've been doing, and said, as of late, I can't stand to be on there anymore. If you guys want to follow me, I'll link my Twitter at the end of this chapter.
> 
> Did I mention to please leave a comment/review?
> 
> Now then, I've taken up enough of your time. ON WITH THE CHAPTER (and please leave a comment/review)

It had been about three weeks since term ended, and Cedric couldn’t wait to get started on his summer homework. He woke up on July 20th, and rushed to get dressed and out the door. His dad had agreed that, on his way to work, he would drop Cedric off at Arden’s for the day. He practically sprinted to the front door, stopped only when his mother grabbed the back of his shirt.

“And where do you think you’re going?” she asked, arms crossed in front of her chest with an eyebrow raised. She looked rather unimpressed at his eagerness to leave.

He pouted and whined, “Mum, Arden’s waiting for me.”

She rolled her eyes, “Yes, Ceddie. I’m sure your father’s awake an hour before he normally gets up for his shift just to drop you off at your friend’s two hours early.” He flushed red. “Now,” she let go of his shirt and gestured for him to follow her, “are you going to help me with breakfast?”

He rolled his eyes and, begrudgingly, followed her to the kitchen. With as much teen angst he could muster, he droned, “Yes, mum.”

 

 

Two hours and one breakfast later, Amos apparated, taking Cedric with him, to an alleyway next to Benningham Towers. Dizzy from the apparation, Cedric put his hands to the wall and leaned on them for a moment to catch his breath. 

“Alright there, Ced?” Amos asked, rubbing his son’s back. Not trusting himself to open his mouth just yet, Cedric nodded, dry swallowing to prevent any of his breakfast from making a reappearance. His father patted his back reassuringly, “Come on, then. We shouldn’t keep the ladies waiting. Minerva said she wouldn’t be leaving for Hogwarts until we get there.” He started down the alleyway. 

Thanking Merlin that he and his father were dressed in Muggle outfits, Cedric made it through the lobby and into Muggle lift, and pressed the button with a 3 on it as soon as his father joined him. Three minutes later, they were stood outside of flat 316. Cedric, anxiously, knocked on the door. 

“Just a moment!” a Scottish accented voice called out from inside. A minute later, Minerva McGonagall opened the door. She was dressed in a burgundy robe with bronze buttons and clasps. Her black hair, normally kept in a tight bun, was let down and reached just past her shoulders. She looked more relaxed than Cedric had ever seen her. Her tone of voice reflected that as well. “Good morning Amos, Cedric,” she greeted, her voice almost sounding like it was smiling.

“Minerva!” Amos greeted, sticking his hand out to shake hers, “You look wonderful!”

Her head nodded in thanks, “Thank you, Amos. How is your wife?”

“She’s doing well. How long has it been, now? I don’t think I’ve seen you around the Ministry since just before old Mr. Urquart’s retirement,” he casually commented.

Her expression hardened just a tad, but, ever the professional, she answered, “I don’t tend to go anywhere that I have no need to.”

Amos checked the time, not seeming to notice McGonagall’s response. “Blimey, I’m about to be late!” 

“Would you like to use my floo, Amos?” Minerva offered, stepping aside to allow him to pass if needed.

“That would be fantastic, thank you!” He took Cedric’s hand and rushed past the witch. 

“The floo powder is in the gold jar on the mantle,” McGonagall called out to the frantic man as she calmly walked into the kitchen.

He grabbed a handful of powder and hugged his son; “I’ll pick you up around 5 o’clock, Ced.” He turned his attention back to McGonagall, “Thank you for your hospitality, Minerva. We should catch up some time!”

She nodded politely, as he stepped into the fireplace. With a call of his department and a flash of green fire, he was gone. She turned to Cedric, “Arden should be down from her room soon. Would you like anything to drink?”

He shook his head, “No, but thank you. Thank you for letting me come over, by the way!”

“Any of Arden’s friends are welcome to come over, so long as we have the understanding that no harm will come to her,” she gave him a foreboding look that he quickly decided he never wanted to see again. 

He stammered out, “Y-yes ma’am.”

He felt a hand pat his shoulder from behind, followed by a familiar yawn. Arden walked into the kitchen, her long, dark hair sticking up in multiple directions. She was dressed in a well-loved brown t-shirt that was several sizes too big (enough for it to reach her mid-thigh), and short black night-shorts. She padded over to the tea-kettle and set it on a burner on the stove. 

Minerva chided, “Honestly, Arden, you couldn’t get dressed before tea? You have a guest.”

Mercutio hopped up on the counter and nuzzled his head to Arden’s chest. She reached up and scratched between his ears. “Tea before clothes,” Arden answered with a tone that made it obvious she had just woken up.

The older witch rolled her eyes, “I apologize on behalf of my goddaughter, Mr. Diggory. We are not used to company this early in the morning.”

Cedric held his hands up, palms facing outwards, in front of him, “It’s fine, really. I’m happy Arden feels comfortable enough with me being here to act as she normally does!”

Just before the kettle started screaming, Arden turned off the stove and poured the boiling water into a grey mug shaped like a whale with a horn…What was that creature? Was it some sort of magical creature that Cedric had never heard of? Arden blew on the tea a few times, and was about to take a sip, when the Hufflepuff asked, “What is that mug supposed to be?”

She bluntly answered, “Narhwal,” and took a deep sip from her mug.

His face scrunched up in confusion. McGonagall elaborated, “It’s a species of whale that lives near Greenland and Canada. Arden is enamored with them.”

Arden hummed in confirmation and contentment, taking a deeper quaff from her mug. A few minutes of halcyon silence followed, only broken once Arden started rinsing out her mug. Once finished, she put it in their drying rack, and wended back to her room, Mercutio on her heels, presumably to get dressed. 

As soon as she returned, ready for the day, Minerva strode over to their fireplace. She hugged Arden, whispering something in her ear that caused the teenager to gasp and gently slap her godmother on the shoulder. The older witch laughed and pecked her on the forehead before taking a generous pinch of floo powder and stepping into the fireplace. With a flash of green flames, the teenagers were alone. 

Arden sighed and meandered back to her room. A few moments later, she returned, arms laden with rolls of parchment, inkpots, quills, and books. She placed her heap on the kitchen table, “Shall we get started?”

 

 

It was lunchtime before they decided to take a break. Cedric leaned his head back as far as it could go, and was vigorously rubbing at his eyes with the palms of his hands. “I swear, Arden, I am not taking N.E.W.T. History of Magic,” he frustratedly bemoaned.

The brunette shook her head in amusement, causing her curls to flounce around her. “Quit being such a drama queen, Diggory. We haven’t even touched on our Transfiguration essay yet,” she chirped in a melodic manner, walking over to the wall-mounted landline. Minnie had given her £30 to buy pizza for lunch. She didn’t know how Cedric felt about her typical pizza order. So, she decided that a large plain cheese pizza should be fine.

“What’s the topic for that, again?”

“The theory behind summoning and vanishing spells.” He made a dragged out, disgruntled noise, and let his head fall to the table with a loud thump. Arden shook her head in amusement, and started to dial the number for the nearby pizzeria. 

While she was on the phone, something banged into the sitting room window. Cedric looked over and saw a tattered grey owl laying on the ledge, seemingly unconscious, a letter clutched in its beak. He ran to retrieve the bird, vehemently hoping that it was still alive. After he opened the window, he could clearly see its chest moving up and down with each of its breaths. Relieved, the Hufflepuff gently picked up the grey bird, and brought it inside. 

Arden was off the phone by then, and watched the whole affair with disdain clearly written across her face. She gave an annoyed sigh, and went to fill a bowl with water and a small plate with owl food. While she stormed off, she told Cedric to put the bird on the coffee table to recover. After she came back, nearly slamming the two dishes on the table, Cedric, disconcertedly, asked, “What’s got you so worked up, all of a sudden?”

The girl gave an angry sigh through her nose, snatched the letter out of the owl’s mouth, and thrust it into Cedric’s hands. She pointed to the names on the envelope, and he suddenly understood. Fred Weasley’s name was scrawled in black ink. She took it back out of his hands, stomped into the kitchen, yanked open a drawer, threw the letter in, and slammed the drawer shut. “He won’t leave me alone!” she yelled at the ground, wanting to cry in vexation.

“What happened?” Cedric asked, knowing something had to have happened. “You know you can tell me,” he coaxed. 

She shifted her weight back and forth, unconsciously hugging herself. “You know how I was petrified?” He bobbed his head in confirmation. “Well,” she swallowed, and continued in a small voice, “After I woke up, Fred was there. At first, I thought it was nice for him to be worried about me. It made me think he cared. I was out of it for months, so he must have cared about me…” she trailed off.

Cedric encouraged her to continue with, “But…”

She nodded, “But…he kissed me before I could even say anything. I was conscious for, maybe, a good minute, and he just…kissed me…”

He balked at the confession. He quickly composed himself, “I assume Madame Pomfrey and McGonagall didn’t take that too well.”

She shook her head, “After Minnie gave him an earful, once as a member of staff and again as my guardian, she and Madame Pomfrey gave him detention every night until term ended. He had to write lines and clean the Hospital Wing on alternating days.”

Cedric nodded, “Seems appropriate enough.” He bit back several insults, and took a deep breath. She didn’t need him to be angry. She needed a shoulder to cry on. She needed support. He asked the most generic question he could, “How did it make you feel?”

“About his punishment or the kiss?”

“The kiss.”

She hesitated, biting her lip and playing with her hands. She didn’t even want to admit it to herself. “Afterwards, I felt like I was back with…” she paused, unable say his name, “him, like I needed to run. I was terrified, Ced. But…while it was happening…I…I liked it,” she admitted ashamedly.

He was stunned, “Wh-what did you like about it?”

She looked at her feet, blushing slightly at what she was confessing, “It felt good. I felt something, too. It may have just been residual feelings, though. I mean, before everything happened last year, I had a crush on Fred.”

He dry swallowed. He wasn’t too pleased to hear that, but he was happy that she was opening up. This had to be good for her. He decided to press forward, “What did you like about him?”

She sighed, and sat at the table, resting her chin in one hand, doodling on the table with the pointer finger of the other. Cedric sat next to her, and put a bracing hand on her shoulder. “He’s fun, of course, funny, made me smile, and he’s so nice. When he cares about you, he makes sure you know it. He’s rather attractive, too. And, he gives great hugs. Before everything happened, I felt safe around him… But, after…” she let the sentence end there, lingering and attempting to put her feelings to words. She met his gaze with her tearful one, “Look, I know I can trust you. We’ve been alone together so many times, and you’ve been there for me through all of this. How could I trust him, especially after what he did?”

Cedric was silent for a moment, thinking carefully about what he said next. “There is no excuse for what he did. I think the muggle phrase is, ‘forgive but never forget’. Let his actions be excused, since he paid his due, and allow him to grow from his mistakes. Who knows, maybe he’ll surprise you and be a better person? If he does do something like that again, don’t forgive him a second time.”

“So, you’re saying I should just give him another chance?” Arden tentatively asked. 

He put his hand on top of hers, and squeezed them. “Everyone deserves a second chance.”

There was a knock at the door, signaling that their lunch had finally arrived. Before she got up to retrieve it, she promised Cedric, “I’ll think about it.”

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

It seemed as though term had just ended, and Arden was already heading back to Hogwarts. Summer holiday never seemed quite long enough. She should ask Grandpa Albus about that, she thought. Maybe he knew of a way to make it feel longer? There had to be a spell for that. She sighed audibly, walking through the barrier between platforms 9 and 10. She was dreading this year. Not only was Sirius Black on the loose, but it was also the year she was taking the feared O.W.L exams. She passed through the gaggle of wizarding families bidding farewell to one another and proceeded to heave her trunk onto the train. She dragged it with her, trying to find an empty compartment. 

While most of the compartments were occupied, she found one that just had this raggedy looking man in it, his case sat above him on the racks, labeled Professor R.J. Lupin. He was dressed in shaggy robes, and looked to be extremely pale, ill, and exhausted. He seemed quite young, though. He had a head of light brown hair, but it was starting to grey. Arden decided that this compartment was the best she was going to get; maybe his presence would ward off any unwanted company. She slid open the door as quietly as she could, and dragged her luggage in behind her. She put Mercutio’s cage on the bench-seat across from the man, and cast a levitation charm to settle her trunk on the rack above. Not wanting to disturb the man, she opted to leave Mercutio in his cage. 

Looking the strange, raggedy, man over, she was befuddled. What was he doing on the Hogwarts Express? She could deduce that he was the new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor, seeing as Lockhart the Con Man was in St. Mungos with permanent memory loss. But, what would their Defense professor, especially one looking so ill, be doing on the train? Was Grandpa Albus worried about the train being hijacked by Sirius Black? But, Minnie had told her that the Ministry enlisted Dementors to protect the train. Maybe he was only able to move to the castle at the start of term? But, that wouldn’t make sense for him to have enough time to set up his office and classroom before classes started. He could have just as easily apparated or taken the floo to Hogsmeade and gotten on one of the carriages earlier in the summer. Maybe he had some sort of condition that required him be home before classes, and he was too ill to apparate or floo back. That had to be it; he looked so sickly. 

She smiled to herself. Now, all she had to do was figure out what sort of condition he had. Well, it couldn’t be contagious, seeing as he was on a densely populated train at the moment, and he was going to be teaching kids. That eliminated most magical and muggle illnesses. He can’t have a condition that prevents him from being around a lot of people, or being in broad daylight, so vampirism was out. Judging by the state of his robes, it could be something that causes involuntary transformation. His robes were shabby and littered with patches. Since he’s a male, he can’t be a maledictus. That leaves lycanthropy. If she remembered her lunar calendar correctly, the night prior was a full moon. That seemed to fit rather well, she thought. Since Snape was a potions master, she presumed that Grandpa Albus asked him to prepare a large supply of Wolfsbane Potion for the year. Pleased with her deduction, she opened her purse, pulled out her copy of De Clade Magicae, and began to read.

 

 

Just after the train left the station, the compartment door slid open. Arden jumped, quickly looked at the door, and relaxed soon after. It was only Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, and Hermione Granger. No Fred or George in sight. She motioned to the sleeping man, and held her left index finger to her lips. The three nodded, and walked in, sliding the door shut behind them. After putting their trunks up, they took their seats. Hermione sat next to Arden, Ron and Harry sat across from them.

“Good summer, Arden?” Hermione whispered hopefully.

She shrugged in response, “Alright,” she whispered back, “How was yours?”

“It was brilliant. My family went on holiday to France! We went to Dijon, and saw a magical vineyard, and I heard all about Beauxbatons while there. The French magical community is so similar, and yet so different to here,” she gushed.

She nodded, and looked back to Ron and Harry. Ron gave her a strange look. It almost looked like he was simultaneously wanting and regretting something. She disregarded it, and whispered to Harry, “I heard about what happened with your aunt. I hope Fudge didn’t give you too big of an ego boost.”

Harry laughed, “I honestly thought I was going to be arrested or expelled, actually. Last year, after a house-elf broke into my aunt and uncle’s house and smashed a pudding, I got an official warning!”

Her jaw dropped, “You’re joking. Seriously? And they let you get away with blowing up your aunt?” 

Ron rolled his eyes, “Yeah, anyway, who d’you reckon he is?” he hissed.

“Professor R.J. Lupin,” Hermione and Arden whispered at once.

“How d’you know that?”

“It’s on his case,” Hermione replied, pointing at the luggage rack above the boys’ heads. 

“Wonder what he teaches?” said Ron, frowning at the man.

“That’s obvious,” whispered Hermione. “There’s only one vacancy, isn’t there? Defense Against the Dark Arts.”

Arden added, “The position is jinxed. Dumbledore denied the job to someone, he said someone named Riddle, and the guy had the audacity to jinx it. The guy must have a serious inferiority complex.”

“Well, I hope he’s up to it,” said Ron doubtfully. “He looks like one good hex would finish him off, doesn’t he? Anyway . . .” He turned to Harry. “What were you going to tell us?”

The brunet in question asked, “Arden, mind giving us a minute? I kind of wanted to tell them in private…”

She shrugged, “If it’s about Black being after you, I already know. I have eyes and ears in the school.”

Hermione and Ron’s eyes grew to dinner-plates, “What?” They both whisper shouted. 

Arden quit paying attention, knowing that Harry was explaining everything she already knew. Sirius Black, the man who, allegedly, killed thirteen people (12 muggles and one Peter Pettigrew) twelve years ago, betrayed his close friends (Harry’s parents) and got them killed by none other than Voldemort, had broken out of Azkaban to hunt Harry down. He, supposedly, wanted to avenge his master, Voldemort, and finish the job he started. Arden wondered, if he was able to break out of Azkaban, why wait twelve years? Surely it wouldn’t take him that long to figure out how to do it. 

A sharp whirring noise, almost like a whistle, broke her out of her thoughts, “What’s that noise?” she asked, rather annoyed, standing up and starting to look around. She felt like she was getting somewhere.

The four teens looked all around the compartment. “It’s coming from your trunk, Harry,” said Ron, standing up and reaching into the luggage rack. A moment later he had pulled a Pocket Sneakoscope out from between Harry’s robes. It was glowing brightly and spinning very fast in the palm of Ron’s hand. 

“Is that a Sneakoscope?” said Hermione interestedly, standing up for a better look.

“Yeah…mind you, it’s a very cheap one,” Ron said. “It went haywire just as I was tying it to Errol’s leg to send it to Harry.”

“Were you doing anything untrustworthy at the time?” said Hermione shrewdly.

“No! Well…I wasn’t supposed to be using Errol. You know he’s not really up to long journeys…but how else was I supposed to get Harry’s present to him?”

“Stick it back in the trunk,” Harry advised as the Sneakoscope whistled piercingly, “or it’ll wake him up.”

He nodded toward Professor Lupin. Ron stuffed the Sneakoscope into a particularly horrible pair of old socks, which deadened the sound, then closed the lid of the trunk on it.

“We could get it checked in Hogsmeade,” said Ron, sitting back down. “They sell that sort of thing in Dervish and Banges, magical instruments and stuff. Fred and George told me.”

Arden smiled, “Dervish and Banges is the best. I could spend all day in there…well, there and Zonkos…and Scrivenshaft’s.”

“Do you know much about Hogsmeade?” asked Hermione keenly. 

Arden scoffed, “Know much about it? I lived there for a few years. I know Hogsmeade as well as I know Hogwarts.”

“Really?” Ron asked, leaning forward, “When did old McGonagall live in Hogsmeade?”

Arden hummed, counting in her head, “About ten years ago, I think? We moved back to London four years later, though.”

Hermione gushed, “Why would you want to leave? I’ve read it’s the only entirely non-Muggle settlement in Britain —”

“Yeah, I think it is,” said Ron in an offhand sort of way, “but that’s not why I want to go. I just want to get inside Honeydukes!”

“What’s that?” said Hermione.

“It’s this sweetshop,” said Ron, a dreamy look coming over his face, “where they’ve got everything. …Pepper Imps — they make you smoke at the mouth — and great fat Chocoballs full of strawberry mousse and clotted cream, and really excellent sugar quills, which you can suck in class and just look like you’re thinking what to write next —”

“But Hogsmeade’s a very interesting place, isn’t it?” Hermione pressed on eagerly. “In Sites of Historical Sorcery it says the inn was the headquarters for the 1612 goblin rebellion, and the Shrieking Shack’s supposed to be the most severely haunted building in Britain —”

“—and massive sherbet balls that make you levitate a few inches off the ground while you’re sucking them,” said Ron, who was plainly not listening to a word Hermione was saying.

Hermione looked around at Harry. “Won’t it be nice to get out of school for a bit and explore Hogsmeade?”

“ ’Spect it will,” said Harry heavily. “You’ll have to tell me when you’ve found out.”

“What d’you mean?” said Ron.

“I can’t go. The Dursleys didn’t sign my permission form, and Fudge wouldn’t either.”

Ron looked horrified. “You’re not allowed to come? But — no way — McGonagall or someone will give you permission-” Harry gave a hollow laugh at that comment, “or we can ask Fred and George, they know every secret passage out of the castle —”

“Actually,” Arden cut in, “I’m the one who knows all of the secret passageways. They may know some of them, but I kept a few secrets.”

“Anyway,” Hermione sharply chided, “I don’t think Harry should be sneaking out of school with Black on the loose —”

“Yeah, I expect that’s what McGonagall will say when I ask for permission,” said Harry bitterly.

Arden shrugged, “Probably. She’s not so much strict as she is protective. You Gryffindors are her responsibility, just as I am.” 

“But if we’re with him,” said Ron spiritedly, “Black wouldn’t dare —”

“Oh, Ron, don’t talk rubbish,” snapped Hermione. “Black’s already murdered a whole bunch of people in the middle of a crowded street. Do you really think he’s going to worry about attacking Harry just because we’re there?”

“You two would be the appetizers,” Arden darkly commented, “Harry’s the final course.” Hermione was messing with the latches on the cage in her lap. Arden peeked in, “He’s gorgeous, ‘Mione!” Inside the cage laid a large, fluffy, ginger cat. He had a flatter face, giving him a bit of a pig-nose. He was larger than Mercutio, who lay asleep in his cage. 

She smiled, “His name is Crookshanks. Want to meet him?”

Don’t let that thing out!” Ron said, but too late; Crookshanks leapt lightly from the basket, stretched, yawned, and sprang onto Ron’s knees; the lump in Ron’s pocket trembled and he shoved Crookshanks angrily away. “Get out of here!”

“Ron, don’t!” said Hermione angrily.

Ron was about to answer back when Professor Lupin stirred. They watched him apprehensively, but he simply turned his head the other way, mouth slightly open, and slept on.

“Is Scabbers in your pocket, Ron?” Arden asked.

“’Course he is!” he affirmed, protectively clutching the lumpy pocket on his pants. 

She nodded, watching as Hermione stroked Crookshanks in a calming manner. What had gotten into the cat? Even Mercutio never attacked Scabbers. There had to be something going on. 

Arden paid no mind to the antics of the younger teens, falling deeper into the book she was reading. Dark magic was so fascinating to her. Though the title of this book was in Latin, its contents were coded in Ancient Runes. The runes translated into some sort of code, which she was transcribing next to her. Every once in a while, Arden would look up from her work to check on Crookshanks. The cat had now settled in an empty seat, his squashed face turned toward Ron; yellow eyes on the ginger’s top pocket. 

 

 

At one o’clock, Hermione nudged Arden to let her know the Trolly Witch arrived at the compartment door. She pulled her wallet out of her purse, purchased a pack of Fizzing Whizbees and a Cauldron Cake, and settled back down for the next few hours.

 

 

Arden was completely in the zone, until she felt the train start to slow down. “We can’t be there yet,” she muttered, putting her work away and standing up. They weren’t due to arrive at Hogwarts for, at least, another half hour. It didn’t make sense. She walked to the window and peered out. It was almost pitch black and rain was coming down in sheets, battering against the windows with the force of the wind. She saw her breath on the glass. 

The train came to a stop with a jolt. Distant thuds and bangs told her that luggage had fallen out of the racks. She thanked Merlin that their luggage didn’t fall. Then, without warning, all the lamps went out and they were plunged into total darkness.

“What’s going on?” Ron asked, sounding like he was starting to get scared.

“Ouch!” gasped Hermione. “Ron, that was my foot!”

“D’you think we’ve broken down?”

“Dunno . . .”

Arden stayed near the window, clutching her wand beneath her hoodie. She noted that, as soon as the train got moving again, she’d have to change into her robes. She wiped a spot on the glass clean and peered out, seeing a hazy outline of a floating figure moving towards the train. She sighed. It was a dementor. Had Black gotten onto the train?

“There’s something moving out there,” Ron informed. “I think people are coming aboard…”

“Ron, I hate to break it to you, but I don’t think those are people…” Arden mentioned. She wracked her brain. What was that charm to banish dementors? Minnie used it the prior summer to fetch Madame Pomfrey… 

The compartment door suddenly opened and someone fell inside. “Sorry — d’you know what’s going on? — Ouch — sorry —”

“Hullo, Neville,” said Harry. 

“Harry? Is that you? What’s happening?”

“No idea — sit down —”

There was a loud hissing and a yelp of pain. Neville must have tried to sit on Crookshanks.

“I’m going to go and ask the driver what’s going on,” came Hermione’s voice. Arden heard the door slide open again, and then a thud and two loud squeals of pain.

“Who’s that?”

“Who’s that?”

“Ginny?”

“Hermione?”

“What are you doing?”

“I was looking for Ron —”

“Come in and sit down —”

“Not here!” said Harry hurriedly. “I’m here!”

“Ouch!” said Neville.

“Quiet!” said a hoarse voice suddenly.

Professor Lupin appeared to have woken up. Arden could hear movements in his corner, and saw a vague silhouette moving about. No one spoke, listening to the beginnings of a soft, crackling noise. Then, a shimmering light filled the compartment. He appeared to be holding a handful of flames, illuminating his tired, gray face, and his alert and wary gaze. 

“Stay where you are,” he said in the same hoarse voice, and slowly stood up, holding his handful of fire in front of him. 

Arden, with bated breath, watched as the door slid slowly open before the older man could reach it. Standing in the doorway, ominously illuminated by the flames in Lupin’s hand, was towering figure, practically reaching the ceiling, its features completely hidden beneath its tattered cloak; a dementor. Arden dry swallowed, knowing what it could do to everyone in the compartment if it so chose. She didn’t want to meet its gaze, and quickly looked down, tensing up uncomfortably at what she saw. There was a glistening, grayish, slimy-looking, and scabbed hand protruding from the cloak, looking like it had already died and rotted in the bottom of a lake. It was visible only for a split second. The hand suddenly withdrew into the folds of the flowing black cloak.

And then, it did what Arden had feared it was going to do. It drew a long, slow, rattling breath, trying to suck all of the happiness out of the room. Suddenly, an intense chill spread throughout the compartment. She fell to her knees, feeling the cold spread through her body; her bones like ice beneath her skin. She couldn’t breathe. She…she needed…No, she thought, not again. She tried to take a deep breath. Just one, she just needed one breath. She begged her lungs to work. She tried, again and again. She couldn’t breathe. She started hyperventilating, trying to get just one more breath. She couldn’t breathe. Arden felt hands all over her, tugging and grasping at everything. She felt the walls close in on her. Her thoughts started feeling like static. The room was getting smaller and darker, as her thoughts grew faster and faster. She had tunnel vision. She needed to get out, get away. If she got away, she could breathe again. She wanted to scream but she couldn’t. She couldn’t scream if she couldn’t breathe.

She was abruptly aware of Hermione shaking her awake. “Arden? Arden, can you hear me?” Arden blinked her eyes open, unaware that they had been closed in the first place. She eventually met Hermione’s gaze, the younger girl visibly relaxing. “Professor Lupin had to use a calming charm on you. He said you were having a panic attack.” 

Arden hugged her knees to her chest, and started to closely examine the old carpet. She felt like she had been put through a washing machine, and her mind felt…foggy. She couldn’t make out any thoughts or emotions. She felt empty. She barely registered that she was shivering uncontrollably. Something brown registered at her peripheral vision. She heard a snap and the brown thing was thrust under her nose.

“Here, eat it. It’ll help,” a vaguely familiar hoarse voice firmly suggested. A quick sniff of the brown quadrangle told her that it was chocolate. She had heard rumor of chocolate being the best aftercare for any dementor encounter. 

Arden hesitantly accepted the chocolate, and stared at it. Had the man poisoned it? No, she mentally shook her head, he was their teacher; Grandpa Albus trusted him enough to hire him. He’d never hurt them like that. She was so tired, though. She didn’t really feel like eating. But, she knew she needed to eat it. She took a small nibble off of one of the corners. She immediately felt warmer, like she had gotten into a hot bath, and she stopped shivering. She placed the entire square in her mouth and let it melt. She didn’t feel quite herself yet, but she felt like she was getting there. 

Arden lifted her head and took a quick look around the compartment. Ginny was sobbing into Hermione’s shoulder, the other girl looking shaken but holding strong. Ron and Neville looked shellshocked, and Harry was concerned and confused. He looked like he’d been through the wringer. She’d have to talk to him about their encounter.

Professor Lupin walked back into the compartment and took one look around. He saw that Harry was still looking at the square of chocolate in his hand. With a small smile, he said, “I haven’t poisoned that chocolate, you know…” With that, Harry took a bite. The boy seemed to experience the same immediate relief that Arden did, as he quickly finished off the treat. “We’ll be at Hogwarts in ten minutes,” Professor Lupin informed. He, concernedly, asked, “Are you all right, Harry?”

Said thirteen-year-old blushed a bit, clearly embarrassed, and muttered out his reply, “Fine.”

Arden, with the news that they’d soon be arriving at Hogsmeade Station, quickly stood up, gathered her uniform cloak, and ran to change. 

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Arden had never felt so relieved to walk into the Great Hall at any other time in her life. That hell of a train ride was finally over, and she was about to get a hot meal before being sent off to sleep. She could finally put the whole situation behind her.

When she sat down at the Ravenclaw table and saw that Professor Flitwick was performing the Sorting this year, she quickly grew worried. Where was Minnie? Why wasn’t she there? Was she ok? She gripped her robes tightly in front of her chest, trying to force herself to calm down. 

“Arden, you alright?” Mary asked, concerned. 

Seo also seemed confused, “Where’s McGonagall? Why’s Flitwick Sorting the first years?”

Cedric supplied, “Maybe she’s finalizing something?”

Arden shrugged, unsure. Minnie was probably fine. She might have just needed to use the restroom? Arden dry swallowed, and took a deep breath. She told herself to calm down. If Minnie didn’t show up during the feast, she’d run to Grandpa Albus and help him find her. 

The Sorting proceeded and concluded uneventfully. Arden looked around the room for any sign of her godmother. She let out a breath she didn’t know she had been holding when she saw her walking up to the staff table from the back of the room. 

Cedric nudged her from behind, “Told you,” and gave her a sly smirk.

Arden gave a small smile in return, and listened in for Dumbledore’s yearly announcements. Professor Dumbledore, though very old, always gave an impression of great energy. She watched him beaming around at the students. Arden felt like she did when she ate the chocolate right after the dementor entered the compartment. Grandpa Albus had this way of making her feel at home and safe regardless of the circumstances.

“Welcome!” the old wizard boomed, the candlelight shimmering on his silver beard. “Welcome to another year at Hogwarts! I have a few things to say to you all, and as one of them is very serious, I think it best to get it out of the way before you become befuddled by our excellent feast…” he cleared his throat and continued, “As you will all be aware after their search of the Hogwarts Express, our school is presently playing host to some of the dementors of Azkaban, who are here on Ministry of Magic business.” He paused, and Arden could tell he was holding back his distaste for the whole situation.

She remembered being in his office over summer holiday, overhearing him and Minnie discuss the whole situation while she read and worked in his rooms. He made is no secret that he was not happy with the dementors guarding the school. He was exceedingly clear about that when he and Fudge had their initial discussion about it. 

Dumbledore quickly collected himself and continued with his announcements, “They are stationed at every entrance to the grounds, and while they are with us, I must make it plain that nobody is to leave school without permission. Dementors are not to be fooled by tricks or disguises — or even Invisibility Cloaks,” he added blandly. “It is not in the nature of a dementor to understand pleading or excuses. I therefore warn each and every one of you to give them no reason to harm you. I look to the prefects, and our new Head Boy and Girl, to make sure that no student runs afoul of the dementors,” he said. “On a happier note,” he continued, “I am pleased to welcome two new teachers to our ranks this year.

“First, Professor Lupin, who has kindly consented to fill the post of Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher.” There was some scattered, rather unenthusiastic applause. It was plain to see why there would be little excitement for this, though. Not only did they get a new professor for that position every single year, but Professor Lupin looked poorly and ragged. 

However, Arden snickered, finding humor in Snape’s expression; it was beyond anger. He looked as though he would be pleased to push the man off of a cliff. He clearly loathed the man.

“As to our second new appointment,” Dumbledore continued as the lukewarm applause for Professor Lupin died away. “Well, I am sorry to tell you that Professor Kettleburn, our Care of Magical Creatures teacher, retired at the end of last year in order to enjoy more time with his remaining limbs. However, I am delighted to say that his place will be filled by none other than Rubeus Hagrid, who has agreed to take on this teaching job in addition to his gamekeeping duties.”

Arden cheered, and whistled along with the peppered applause throughout the hall. Though Hagrid had told her of this news the prior year, she was still beyond thrilled. Hagrid deserved this position more than anyone she could think of…Well, maybe Newt Scamander would make a great professor, too. But, Hagrid was phenomenal and beyond passionate. She had no doubt in her mind that he’d be fantastic, absolutely fantastic. She looked at the large man, who was cherry-red in the face and staring down at his enormous hands, his wide grin hidden in the tangle of his black beard. He became overcome with emotion, being the giant marshmallow that he was, and started wiping his eyes with the tablecloth. 

When everyone stopped clapping and cheering, Professor Dumbledore started speaking again, “Well, I think that’s everything of importance. Let the feast begin!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

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